284 FARM MANAGEMENT 



The 160-acre farm is not large enough to fully employ 

 a small family. One man, with the help of a son during 

 school vacations, can do all the work on 200 acres, except 

 in harvest. The 160-acre farm is still the most numerous 

 in the county and may so continue. While not large 

 enough for greatest efficiency, it provides a fairly good liv- 

 ing. Many persons are content with this area, if they do 

 not have sons to help. 



Some persons who have only money enough to own 160 

 acres do not always find additional land to rent even if 

 they desire it. Sometimes a tenant cannot get more 

 than 160 acres. 



The number of farms of 100 to 174 acres decreased from 

 858 to 794 in the last ten years. During the same time, 

 the number of farms of 175 to 259 acres increased 20 per 

 cent and the number of 260 to 499 acres increased 6 per cent. 



It is evident that farms of about 240 to 320 acres have 

 a very great advantage over all other sizes. This is about 

 the area necessary for a family-farm under the conditions 

 in this region. How fully the owners, as well as the 

 tenants, realize the importance of having land enough to 

 provide full employment is shown by the fact that 36 per 

 cent of the farmers who worked their own land rented 

 additional land. There is no tendency to develop bonanza 

 farms. There are only a few farms of over 500 acres, and 

 the number is decreasing. 



On one five-mile road in Clay county that the writer 

 has traveled over many times there used to be 13 houses ; 

 now there are 8. If it were in the East, where lumber is 

 cheap, the other 5 would be left as abandoned homes. 

 But lumber is too valuable, so all are torn down. Some- 

 times a few trees that have not been removed are still 

 standing. The land is all farmed. 



