FACTORS OF SUCCESS IN FARMING 



60 1 



The effect of crop yields per acre on labor income is shown in 

 Table 16 and by the chart on page 603. There is almost as strik- 

 ing a correlation between yield and profit as between size of farm 

 and profit. Of course some persons who have large farms make 

 large labor incomes in spite of poor crop yields, but this does 

 not in any way disprove the importance of good yields. On the 

 average, the farmers whose crop yields dropped more than 1 5 per 

 cent below the yields secured by the neighbors did not make 

 hired man's wages. 



Of 1 1 8 farms with crop yields 1 5 per cent or more below the 

 average, only 7 made labor incomes of over $1000, but of 135 

 farms with crop yields over 15 per cent above the average, 55 

 made labor incomes over $1000. 



Of course, there are instances of success with low crop yields 

 when other factors are favorable. One man who had 166 acres 

 of land and whose crop yields were only 62 per cent of the 

 average made a labor income of $1652, but his receipts per cow 

 were over twice the average and he received a high price for 

 apples. Four men with large farms made over $3000 with crop 

 yields 8 to 14 per cent below the average. They did well in spite 

 of rather low yields. Others with farms of the same size and 

 better crops did better. 



TABLE 16. RELATION OF CROP YIELDS TO LABOR INCOME. 

 574 FARMS, LIVINGSTON COUNTY, NEW YORK 1 



Yields compared with Average of Region 

 (Per cent) 



Average Yield 

 compared 



with Average 

 of Region 

 (Per cent) 



Number 

 of Farms 



Labor 



I N CO M E 



75 or less 

 76-S5 . . 

 86-95 

 96-105 . 

 106-115 . 

 116-125 . 

 Over 125 



67 



81 



90 



101 



no 



120 



58 



60 



102 



116 



103 



66 

 69 



$165 

 219 

 663 

 570 

 878 



95i 

 1090 



1 If a farmer gets a small yield of hay and a large yield of oats, it is difficult to 

 say whether his crops are good or poor. In order to make a comparison, all yields 



