40 BULLETIN 41, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



Size of the farm business. — No one expects a small grocery store 

 which has only a few customers a day to be a great financial success. 

 The total amount of business is insufficient to earn the operator a 

 substantial income. Exactly the same is true with the small farm. 

 The volume of business is limited by the area in crops and the 

 capital invested. The small farm furnishes a home as well as much 

 of the produce consumed by the family. If it were not for these 

 factors the men on the small area would hardly be able to live. 



Wages are a reward for labor, and if a farm does not provide 

 work the pay must be correspondingly small. The family-size farm, 

 which in the corn belt should be above 100 acres, is unquestionably 

 a more efficient unit than an area of 40 acres or less. Crops can be 

 grown cheaper, labor will be better paid, and the farmer and his 

 family will enjoy more of the benefits of modern civilization. 



Quality of the farm, business. — The farmer may have sufficient area 

 and grow the right kind of crops, yet not be successful, owing to the 

 poor quality of his entire business. Poor crops that do not pay the 

 cost of production, and the feeding of these to unproductive live 

 stock are common causes of failure. This characteristic of unsuc- 

 cessful farming attracts much public attention. Such farms are un- 

 profitable largely through ignorance or indifference on the part of the 

 operator. Under good management they can generally be made suc- 

 cessful. 



Diversity of the farm, business. — Improper organization of a large 

 farm limits its possibilities, just as area limits the small farm. 

 Single croj:>s or single live-stock enterprises seldom utilize farm 

 labor to its maximum. By having several crops there is not only 

 better distribution of labor, but the chances of total loss from crop 

 failures are lessened. Fortunately, corn, oats, and wheat utilize the 

 farmer's time pretty thoroughly through the growing season. In 

 some parts of this country certain crops that need labor only a part 

 of the year may be so profitable that the farmer can afford to be idle 

 the rest of the }^ear. However, these are the exception.-. Most crops 

 are not profitable enough to permit any such practice. Idle horses 

 and machinery are nearly as expensive as idle men. (See fig. 10.) 

 If the working equipment can all be kept busy on paying enterprises, 

 success is almost assured. 



Adaptability of the. type of farm.hu/. — Equally important in the 

 selection of enterprises to permit the maximum use of labor is the 

 consideration of the profitableness of each. Dairy cows and cash 

 crops may utilize all of the farmer's time, but in certain regions, 

 possibly, dairy cattle under the best management could hardly be 

 made to pay a profit. Markets and other conditions have to be care- 

 fully considered in choosing the enterprises which are to constitute 

 the main sources of income. Fitting the right crop to the soil and 



