42 



BULLETIN 941, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



In the following analysis of the business of 10 individual farms, 

 opportunity is afforded for a study of the factors which determined 

 their success or failure for the year. Along with the analysis of 

 each farm business is a brief discussion of the farm considered. 

 Each farm here analyzed is deserving of careful study. 1 



FARM NO. 1. 



DISTRIBUTION OF FARM AREA. 



DISTRIBUTION OF CAPITAL. 



Crop area acres. . . 23 



Woods and waste do 10 



Pasture do 7 



Total farm area do 40 



Land and buildings $500 



Livestock 165 



Machinery 57 



Feed and cash 250 



Total capital 972 



ACREAGE AND YIELD OF CROP. 



NUMBER OF LIVE STOCK. 



Crop. 



Corn bushels . . 



Rye do 



Oats and millet hay tons. . 



Potatoes bushels.. 



Fruit 



Total 

 yield. 



110 



35 



3 



40 



Acres. 



Class. 



3.75 

 .50 

 .75 



Cows 



Calves 



Horses 



Brood sows. 

 Hogs 



Begin- 

 ning of 

 year. 



Pur- 

 chased. 



Pro- 

 duced. 



DISTRIBUTION OF RECEIPTS. 



DISTRIBUTION OF EXPENSES. 



Source. 



Corn bushels . . 



Cattle 



Hogs 



Total receipts. 



Amount 

 sold. 



Value. 



Family labor $100 



Repairs to machinery 13 



Seed i 28 



Other expenses 14 



Depreciation, machinery and buildings 18 



Total expenses 173 



Farm income (difference between receipts and expenses) . 

 5 per cent interest on capital 



49 



Labor income ( loss) — 128 



Farm No. 1 is a small farm in a rough and rocky section. This farm gives an illus- 

 tration of the hardships and difficulties which confront an inexperienced operator 

 with limited means attempting to establish a small farm on the poorer upland soils 

 of this region. 



This operator bought his farm in 1908, using practically all of his money in the 

 purchase of the 40 acres. In the 10 years following he suffered disaster a number of 

 times, from crop failure due to drought and from loss of live stock. Being a mechanic, 

 he returned to St. Louis after each disaster and worked until he had accumulated 

 enough money to purchase more work horses and supplies. In this way, he has spent 

 4 of the 10 years preceding 1918 in St. Louis, his wife and two small children living 

 on the farm in his absence, but unable to do much farming. He had worked the 

 greater part of 1916 in St. Louis, and, as he said, returned for the fifth start. At the 

 beginning of the farm year covered by this study he had live stock consisting of 1 

 cow and 2 horses. He spent four months out of the year in St. Louis and with his 

 savings purchased for $215, 2 cows, 2 calves, and 2 hogs. 



1 The first five of these farms arc rolling and hilly farms, and the next five arc valley and level-upland 

 farms. 



