BULLETIN 941, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



large areas of which are too rough and stony to admit of cultivation 

 of crops. The areas more adaptable to cultivation have been in 

 farms for many years. As a rule, the operator of a valley or level- 

 upland farm has a decided advantage over the operator of the rough 

 farm. 



After deducting from their total receipts the year's operating ex- 

 penses, including the value of family labor, and allowing 5 per cent 

 interest on the capital invested, the operators of rolling and hilly 

 farms had in 1917 an average labor income of $309, and those oper- 

 ating valley or level-upland farms an average of $646. Of the 79 

 farms studied, 20 per cent had no labor income after making the above 



specified deductions from their 

 year's receipts, and 21 per cent 

 had a labor income above 

 $1,000. 



Labor incomes earned by 

 typical operators indicate that 

 an operator having much less 

 than 40 acres of crop land for 

 a general live-stock farm has a 

 rather poor chance of attaining 

 financial success. The labor 

 income earned by operators in- 

 creased as the size of the farm 

 increased. 



live-stock farming is the 

 principal agricultural industry 

 of the region. 



The production and sale of 

 cream is a growing branch of the 

 live-stock industry. The use of cows for dairy purposes is increasing. 

 The average production per cow of 78 cows on dairy farms was 142 

 pounds of butter fat. This industry would become more profitable if 

 cows of greater productive capacity were introduced. The production 

 would also be increased by providing a better balanced feed ration. 

 Live-stock losses are a source of considerable expense in operating 

 a farm. Losses of live stock on the farms for the year studied were 

 as follows: Cattle, 3.6 percent; horses and mules, 3.4 percent; sheep, 

 8.9 per cent; hogs, 10.7 per cent; goats, 11 per cent. 



Pasturage is the foundation of the live-stock industry. The nat- 

 ural pastures can be greatly improved by thinning out woodland 

 areas, keeping the underbrush down, and sowing tame grasses. 



For greater assurance of live-stock feeds during the summer 

 droughts, to which this section is liable, many farmers plant sor- 

 ghum, millet, and kafir corn as auxiliary hay crops. On the better 



SHADED AREAS INDICATE COUNTIES 

 WHERE FARM BUSINESS ANALYSIS 

 SURVEY RECORDS WERE OBTAINED"" 



± 



Fig. 1. — Map showing region studied. 



