FACTORS OF SUCCESS IN FARMING 



615 



One may get along without live-stock, but one cannot farm with- 

 out land and equipment. The majority of farmers understand 

 this principle. When they get more money, they increase the 

 amount and improve the quality of their live-stock. 



Acres of crops per animal unit. Another way of comparing 

 farms is on the basis of number of acres of crops grown for 

 each animal unit kept. An animal unit is a cow or a horse, or 

 the equivalent in young stock or other animals, as defined on 

 page 587. Crops grown include all harvested crops, but do not 

 include pasture or woods. All the farmers had pasture in addi- 

 tion. In Jefferson County there were no farmers who kept more 

 than one animal unit for each acre of crops grown. More than 

 half of the farmers kept an animal unit for each 1 to 3 acres 

 of crops. The farms that were most heavily stocked secured the 

 best crop yields, but did not make the best labor incomes. The 

 best labor incomes were made by those who did not go to either 

 extreme the ones who had their farms moderately well stocked, 

 as is shown in Table 25. Some of the reasons for the better 

 results by those who avoid either extreme will be given later. 



TABLE 25. RELATION OF ACRES OF CROPS PER ANIMAL UNIT 



TO LABOR INCOME AND CROP YIELDS. 670 FARMS, JEFFERSON 



COUNTY, NEW YORK 



The amount of stock that it pays to keep of course depends 

 on the returns that one gets from it. With very poor stock, the 

 less one has the better. The better the stock, the more heavily 

 the place should be stocked. With good stock in Jefferson County, 

 it pays best to have an animal unit for each 3 to 4 acres of crops 



