266 



DAIRY FARMING 



est farms have 43 per cent of their capital in houses ; the 

 largest farms have somewhat better houses, but have only 

 9 per cent of their capital thus invested. 



TABLE 39. AREA RELATED TO INVESTMENT IN BUILDINGS. 

 FARMS, LIVINGSTON COUNTY, NEW YORK 



578 



The barns on the small farms also take a much larger 

 proportion of the capital. The smallest farms have 19 per 

 cent of their capital thus invested, the largest farms have 

 only 11 per cent thus tied up. A barn for ten head of stock 

 costs much more than half as much as an equally good barn 

 for twenty head of stock. The smallest farms have an 

 investment in barns of $164 per animal unit. The largest 

 farms have only $50 per animal unit. Yet observations lead 

 to the conclusion that the stock on the larger places is better 

 housed. If interest, repairs, depreciation, and insurance on 

 a building amount to 8 per cent of the value, then the housing 

 cost per animal unit will vary .from $13 per year on the small- 

 est farms to $4 per year on the largest. 



Similar results for the United States are shown in Table 

 40. These indicate, as for other points in this work, that 

 the results are of general rather than local application. The 



