June 1941] Agricultural Research in New Hampshire 17 



This total indebtedness, as reported by the 100 commercial dairy- 

 men, represented 21 per cent of the total assets. 



(Purnell Fund) 



Rural Tax Studies in New Hampshire (H. C. Grinnell) 



This project is nearing completion and is about ready for publi- 

 cation. There are two general phases of the work. The first is con- 

 cerned with a description of the system of local government — how it 

 works. Here the emphasis is placed on organization, administration, 

 and finance of local units, including the county, town, and school and 

 village districts. Functional administration is investigated with re- 

 spect to fiscal practices, highways, public schools, welfare, and public 

 health. 



The second phase is concerned with town taxes as levied in the 

 town for all units of government. For this purpose local fiscal mat- 

 ters have been analyzed for 89 rural towns, and the revenue and ex- 

 penditure items adjusted to a comparable basis. The purpose of the 

 analysis is to show by tabulations the relation of selected factors to 

 variations in the amount and distribution of expenditures. 



Two station bulletins on this project will be available about the 

 middle of the year. 



(Purnell Fund) 



The Place of Woodlots in Farm Organization in Coos County, New 

 Hampshire (John M. Chandler) 

 Tn February, 1940, a study in the Colebrook area of Coos County 

 was undertaken in cooperation with the Bureau of Agricultural Eco- 

 nomics. Records of farm organization, resources, and income from 

 sale of forest products were taken on a number of farms. The field 

 work and analysis have been completed and a preliminary report pre- 

 pared, pointing out some ways of increasing farm incomes, with par- 

 ticular emphasis on the possible contribution of the forest resources. 



Tn the past, apparently little attention lias been given to making 

 farms more nearly economic units by acquisition of woodland. As a 

 consequence, certain technological developments during recent years 

 have left many local farm people with-no outlet for their labor during 

 the winter months. The ownership pattern indicates there is wood- 

 land in small lots scattered throughout the area, owned by persons 

 not connected with agriculture. It would appear that over a period 

 of years farmers needing more woodland might be able to purchase 

 enough to meet their individual needs and would do well to consider 

 acquiring this amount to increase farm income. To accomplish the 

 desired results, some sort of long term credit for forestry would be 

 helpful. Approximately 12.5 per cent of the farms in the area fall 

 within this group. 



Nine per cent of the farms have sufficient acreage but little or no 

 material ready for cutting at the present time and are not likely to 

 have any in the near future. In such instances they might look to 

 the resources of others for employment until such time as their own 

 growing stocks have been built up. The forest products marketing 



