518 FARM MANAGEMENT 



total area is the area of land that is ready for raising 

 crops or that can easily be made ready for crops. Rough 

 pasture land and brush land may be of little value. 

 Standing timber may be very valuable, but stump land 

 and brush land are of low value. The area in crops and 

 natural yielding power of the soil are the most important 

 factors in determining profits. If one is merely looking 

 for a place to raise animals on purchased feed, he had 

 better locate in a city, where animal products sell for 

 higher prices. If his area in crops is too small, or the 

 yield per acre too low, he lacks the basis for profitable 

 farming. It should be remembered that on a well-managed, 

 diversified farm, raising such general farm crops as cotton, 

 corn, small grain, potatoes and hay, there should ordi- 

 narily be 20 to 30 acres of crops per horse. A five-horse 

 farm should have 100 to 150 acres of crops. 



Many farms that appear cheap are really high-priced 

 for the tillable land. A 100-acre farm that is only half 

 tillable and that sells for $5000 may really cost $90 per 

 acre for the tillable land. 



320. The farm layout. The shape and size of the 

 fields and the nearness of the fields to the farmstead are 

 important points. If the arrangement is not a good one, 

 the cost of a rearrangement and the probable loss of time 

 and profits while making the changes must be considered. 

 A full discussion of this subject is given in Chapter 12. 



321. The lay of the land. The topography or lay 

 of the land is becoming increasingly important as the 

 use of machinery increases. A steep side hill could be 

 farmed at very little disadvantage in the days of the 

 scythe, grain cradle, and potato hook, but may not allow 

 the use of the self-binder, hay loader, manure spreader 

 and potato digger. Every new machine that is invented 



