282 FARM MANAGEMENT 



1900 to 1910. Farms of 50-99 acres decreased 22 per 

 cent. Farms of 100-174 acres were practically stationary. 

 But farms of 175-499 acres increased 5 per cent. 



It is evident that for the usual types of farming in 

 Iowa, 160 to 320 acres is the most efficient size of farm. 

 At the same time that the family farm is increasing in 

 size, the number of large farms is decreasing. There is 

 no tendency toward " bonanza" farms. There is also an 

 increase in the number of places of less than 20 acres. 

 Some of these are greenhouses, gardens, and other types 

 of farming that cluster about cities. Probably more of 

 them are homes of persons who derive most of their in- 

 come from some other source. 



At the same time that the farms in much of the Central 

 West are increasing in size, the farms in New Jersey, 

 Delaware, and Alabama are decreasing in area. The 

 same change is taking place around the cities of the Central 

 West. Whenever general farming is replaced by truck 

 growing and other hand labor types, the farms become 

 smaller. In such states as Ohio and Indiana, the farms in 

 the general farming regions are increasing in area at the 

 same time that farms around the rapidly growing cities 

 are being divided up for truck patches. It is these con- 

 flicting movements that make it necessary to study areas 

 that are fairly uniform in type of farming in order to 

 understand the conditions. 



180. The hard winter wheat region. Clay County, 

 Nebraska, is typical of much of the region growing hard 

 winter wheat. This county has enough rainfall so that 

 corn can be grown. Corn and wheat each occupy about 

 two-fifths of the area in crops. Oats and hay each occupy 

 about one-tenth of the area. Practically all of the wheat 

 and some of the corn and oats are sold. A considerable 



