74 X. II. Agh. Experimext Station' [Bulletin 260 



Receipts from Crops I 



Keceipts from crops were very small, averaging 3.7 i^er cent for the ! 

 whole group. There were no sales of crops on 193 farms. An attempt I 

 was made in Table 65 to discover any advantage that might result i 

 from having the receipts from milk supi)lemented by some crop sales. ! 

 The grou]) of 54 farms that averaged 18 per cent of its receipts from : 

 crops got an average labor income of $514. This rather favorable I 

 result was in spite of poor quality cows and a low average price for i 

 milk. There is scant reason to believe that the production of a reason- ij 

 able proportion of crops is necessarily ])rejudieial to a favorable milk 

 production per cow. Personal prejudices might be so reflected, but 

 hardly would the average farmer's capacity as a manager be that cir- 

 cumscribed on these small farms. There was little or no increase in 

 man efficiency apparent as a result of more crops, but the size of the 

 farm business was increased. Doubtless, many of the crops were grown 

 in too small areas and with too much hand work to use labor efficiently. 



Table 65 — Relation of per cent of receipts from crops to labor income. 



* United States Census, acreage in potatoes in Grafton County in 1909, 

 2,802 acres; in 1929, 1,060 acres. 



Potatoes 



Grafton County farmers have been decreasing their potato acreage 

 for twenty years or longer. The acreage is about one-third of what 

 it was in 1909.* Competition and higli-priced labor have made the ])ro- \ 

 duction of small acreages un{)rofitable. AYithout machinery, labor 

 costs are prohibitive, and the expense of providing adecpiate potato- 

 growing machinery is prohibitive unless it can be spread over many 

 acres. Si)eculation has added to the discouragement of occasional 

 growers. There is no rule that always works for potato prices, not 

 even the one so seldom heeded, to plant cheap seed. 



The climate in Grafton County is well adapted to ]iotatoes; there is 

 plenty of land in areas and i)hysical condition suitable for i)otato ])ro- 

 ductioii with up-to-date machine methods, (iranting that the crop 



i 



