30 N. H. Agricultural Experiment Station [Sta. Bull. 314 



Effect on Fruit and Poultry Farms 



In the case of other agricultural enterprises such as poultry and fruit, 

 the conservation program plays a minor role and will not influence 

 production in a significant degree. Price relations will be the con- 

 trolling factor in guiding either expansion or decline. 



Many small farmers with meager incomes are not able to use the 

 program as it now exists and many of these operators will continue to 

 live on their present places, working olT the farm and also securing some 

 income from forestry. Through the conservation program or some 

 other program we need to enable this group to build up their timber re- 

 sources. 



The Program as Related to Marginal Farms 



The question is often raised as to the participation in soil-conserva- 

 tion practices by operators on submarginal farm land and particularly 

 the amounts of public and private money going to improve the soil on 

 farms that will probably be abandoned shortly. This question cannot 

 be answered very accurately at this time because of lack of definite 

 data. It is difficult to make predictions as to extent of future aban- 

 donment, and it is doubly difficult definitely to delineate such areas. 

 Very good farms are often interspersed within areas of generally poor 

 farming, and on account of part-time farming opportunities even the 

 poor farms may continue to be occupied. In such cases there may be 

 little social loss even if some conservation money is employed in soil- 

 building practices. 



In three counties of the state, in connection with a type of farming 

 project, the land area had been differentiated into classes based on 

 priorities of opportunities in commercial dairy farming. Opportuni- 

 ties in fruit growing, poultry farming, and part-time farming were 

 ignored. Location as to markets, soil, topography, and ease of opera- 

 tion were considered. 



Since the agricultural conservation practices related to soil improve- 

 ment directly concern dairy farming, the extent and location of par- 

 ticipation in soil-building practices were compared to the areas classi- 

 fied as indicated above. 



Each farm participating in the program was located on the map, 

 and the total payment and extent of each conservation practice was 

 noted. 



The first three areas representing a total of 420 square miles, or 21 per 

 cent of the total land area, and grouped in this report as Class A area 

 illustrate conditions of location, soil, topography, ease of cultivation, 

 productivity of pasture, and layout favorable to commercial dairying. 

 This area accounted for $29,078 or 73 per cent of the total conserva- 

 tion payments. Area B^^ comprising 12 per cent of the total land, 

 represents areas of land in which dairying is more or less handicapped 

 and the future trend is somewhat uncertain. It is a marginal area and 

 the trend will probably be very sensitive to price relations. The opera- 

 tors in this area received $6,142 or 15.3 per cent of the total soil im- 

 provement payments. 



" Area A includes Areas I, II and III in type-of-farming study; B is Area 

 IV. (Study has not been published.) 



