April, 1935] Agricl'ltural Research in N. H. 7 



The data would indicate that occupants of farms in Groujis I and II 

 were almost wholly dependent on outside work for necessary cash expenses. 

 Even operators in Groups IV and V, which do more farming, received 

 $194 and $163 respectively from outside work. This outside work is very 

 essential cAcn to the maintenance of present standards of living. 



That the farms are not now organized and equipped to sell products from 

 the farm if there is a return to general prosperity is indicated hy the extent 

 of the i)hysical plant for agricultural j^roduction. 



In Group I, consisting of 45 per cent of the farms, the average situation 

 indicates a great lack of opportunity to do more farming than merely grow- 

 ing some products for home consumption. 



The average amount of tillage land per farm in this group was 15 acres. 

 The yielding power of this small acreage has declined to the extent that 

 onl}- a very limited amount of livestock could be carried. At present the 

 average number of livestock carried in Group I is : .9 cows, .4 heifers, .4 

 horses, and 10 hens. This is equivalent to 1.6 animal units. This is equiva- 

 lent to one animal unit per 10 acres of tillage land, or about one-fifth that 

 of average farms of the State and one-tenth that of the better farms of the 

 State. 



The present yielding power of the farms in Group I is very low, and 

 because of the small amount of stock together with present practices of till- 

 age the trend is toward lower yields. The yields of hay are so low on many 

 farms that it no longer pays to harvest it. 



The situation as described for Group I is more or less true also for the 

 farms in Groups II and III. While more livestock is maintained the situa- 

 tion is not very optimistic as far as trend of yields is concerned. 



The yields and carrying capacity of these farms cannot be brought back 

 without considerable investment in time and money. Frequently one farmer 

 may start the process of the rejuvenation of a single farm by purchasing 

 standing hay on nearby abandoned farms and carrying considerable live- 

 stock in this way. With more livestock and an aggressive cropping program 

 the yields can be brought back in the course of time. This method, however, 

 will work only for the occasional farm and cannot be employed to bring 

 back all farms. 



There is nothing indicated in the outlook for demand or land require- 

 ment that would justify the expense necessary in rebuilding the fertility 

 and yielding power of the farms. 



From the viewpoint of commercial agriculture these farms, on account 

 of low yielding power, location, or small fields and rocks, can be ignored. 

 A few farms in Groups IV and V can be considered of some commercial 

 importance and those best located would probably continue indefinitely as. 

 commercial farms. (//. C. U'oodworth — Purnell Fund.) 



Study of Delinquent Taxes, Tax Sales, and Transfers 



A Civil Works Project concerning rural tax delinquencies, tax sales, and 

 farm real estate transfers in 92 per cent of the towns in New Hampshire 

 was reviewed. This study revealed a lack of uniformity among local tax 

 units relative to the levying, recording, and collecting of property taxes. In 

 many cases practices do not comply with the statutes or with sound tax 

 policies. Irregularities in local practices, more particularly those concerned 



