Agricultural Research in New Hampshire 17 



mately 72 miles of daily travel could be eliminated, if the operators put 

 their product on available routes. After making due allowance for extra 

 mileage required for pick up of milk in new areas, the trucking pattern 

 showed 721 miles in July, 1945, as compared to 852 miles in 1942, a saving 

 of about 15 per cent. There was little change in rates during the year. 



H. C. Woodworth, J. C. Holmes 



Changes in Income of Dairy Farmers 



A procedure was developed this year to measure roughly the changes 

 in income of dairy farmers. Financial information was secured from a 

 random sample of 45 commercial dairy farmers as to the cash operating 

 costs and cash receipts for the year ending December 31, 1944. The 

 cash receipts averaged $5,546 in 1944 and the cash expenses, not including 

 interest but allowing for depreciation, were $4,208. This left a farm in- 

 come of $1,338 which represents the returns for both family labor and 

 the investment in the farm, equipment, and livestock. Having established 

 an estimate of farm income for 1944, there data were made the basis of 

 statistical estimates for other years. 



Seven items represented 98 per cent of the total receipts and a series 

 of relative values were set up for each of the seven items covering the 

 years under consideration. These relative values were computed inde- 

 pendently of each other and were based on the random sample of whole- 

 sale farms, publications of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, including 

 the various reports of the Crop Reporting Service, and price lists of the 

 Merrimack Farmers Exchange and the Eastern States Farmers Exchange. 

 Similarly, a series of relatives were set up for the major items of expense. 

 These data were the basis for determining the farm income each year 

 from 1939 to 1945 and can be the basis for computing an estimate of in- 

 come of dairy farmers from year to year. The dairy farm income es- 

 timated under this procedure was found to be as follows: 



Developing Home and Market Outlets 



The development in frozen foods and the use of locker plants and 

 home freezers have been emphasized. 



Many Home Freezers In Use. Many home freezers were built dur- 

 ing and since the war. With commercial boxes again available, many 



