26 N. H. Agri. Experiment Station [Bulletin 298 



age of $89 from gifts, pensions, interest, savings, and relief. On the 

 average this would mean $322 cash per family for living, payment of 

 interest, and former obligations. 



When the farms were grouped into five classes according to gross 

 sales of agricultural products, the data indicate that the groups with 

 higher gross sales of agricultural products had a larger net income. 



On the whole those doing little farming had very little cash for liv- 

 ing expense. Not including the $84 from gifts, etc., the first group 

 averaged only $157 cash or $13 a month for living. It is interesting 

 to note that those doing the most farming consumed more home-grown 

 products. On the whole the operators in Group 1 (less than $50 sales) 

 had more time for home production and if they remain in the region 

 should be aided in bringing their production of farm products for 

 home consumption into line with requirements. 



But even in this grouping the actual situation is hidden by averages. 

 A study of Fig. 3 indicates the net cash earned income on the 252 in- 

 dividual farms. One-fourth had no earned income and one-fourth had 

 from $1 to $200. Probably over half the families were on very meager 



1^ l,Bf,t.^\ 



liOO- 



1100 

 1000 

 900 

 800 



roo 



DIXTI^IBLTION OF INDIVIDLAL FACHJ' 



jby I — I 



NET CA#H IWCOWE# 



Fig. 3. The earned income of half the operators was very low. Roughly, 

 one-fourth had no earned income, one-fourth had less than $200, one-fourth 

 between $200 and $400, and the other fourth over $400. Each line represents 



one farm. 



living even after supplementing with gifts, pensions, relief, and other 

 income from outside the area. Only about one-fifth of the families had 

 an earned cash income of over $500. 



However, the low earned cash income exaggerates the situation to 

 some extent for a few men have retired or are in poor health and some 

 of the families have learned to make small amounts of cash go a long 

 way. One woman told in some detail how she managed to provide for 

 a large family with little cash. She purchased mostly such raw ma- 

 terials as flour, lard, sugar, etc. She was a real expert in getting 

 through a depression because as she stated in her own words, she had 

 always been in the trough of one. 



