828 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



that less than one-half of the farms in the United States employ hired labor. 

 There are about one and a half male workers engaged in agriculture for 

 each farm. Some farms employ a number of workmen throughout the 

 year. Others employ one workman and still others employ day labor in 

 busy seasons. 



The Economical Unit. — This provides for an area sufficiently large for 

 economical production. The area depends on the type of farming. It 

 should provide for the utilization of buildings and equipment essential to 

 the type of farming. If the area is too small, labor is wasted, machinery 

 is not fully utilized and the land is likely to be over-capitalized with 

 respect to buildings. The 120-acre grain farm in the corn belt will require 

 the same equipment in the way of machinery and cultural implements 

 that a 200-acre farm would require. The 200-acre farm in this case would 

 be the most economical unit, since it could be farmed equally as well 

 without increased expense for equipment. The size most economical is, 

 therefore, the largest unit that can be farmed satisfactorily with the imple- 

 ments that the crops call for. If one increases the size 40 or 80 acres 

 beyond what a set of implements can manage, it calls for duplication of 

 tools, and unless the extra tools are fully utilized the increase in size may 

 be disadvantageous rather than otherwise. In order to farm most econom- 

 ically the logical step would be from one unit in size to two full units in 

 size. Statistical studies show that a little increase in area generally 

 increases efficiency greatly, but when the area of a 200 or 300-acre farm is 

 increased, the increase in efficiency is scarcely noticeable. Usually 300 

 acres represent about the upper limit that can be most economically farmed 

 as a unit. Larger areas result in much land being so remote from buildings 

 that much time is wasted in going to and from fields, hauling products to 

 the farmstead and manure to the fields. 



Size Economizes on Buildings and Fences. — The farmer on an 80- 

 acre farm usually desires as good a house as he would wish if he were on a 

 160-acre farm. The barn and outbuildings on the larger farm will gen- 

 erally be larger than on the smaller one, but the increase in size, cost and 

 expense for upkeep will not be in proportion to the area farmed. 



It costs twice as much per acre to fence a square 10-acre field as it does 

 to fence a square 40-acre field. 



Size Economizes on Equipment. — A survey of 586 farms operated 

 by owners in Tompkins County, N. Y., showed that the investment in 

 machinery per acre ranged from $3.50 on the larger farms to $6 on the 

 smaller ones. The larger farms were generally best equipped. Very small 

 areas of crops often prohibit the use of labor-saving machines, because the 

 cost is too great to justify their employment. The annual cost of depre- 

 ciation, interest, insurance, repairs, housing and oil for machinery is about 

 20 per cent of its value. This would make the annual cost per acre for 

 these items 50 cents more on the small farms above mentioned than on the 

 large ones. 



