A FIVE-YEAR FARM MANAGEMENT SURVEY IN OHIO. 3 



furnished by the farm without money cost. The value of such items 

 was $325. 



The farms averaged 156 acres, worth $30 per acre. One-half of the 

 land was in pasture and one-fourth in corn, wheat, and hay. The 

 crops were mostly fed to beef cattle, poultry, fine-wooled sheep, hogs, 

 and work stock. Practically 75 per cent of the receipts was from the 

 sales of live stock, including eggs, wool, and dairy products. 



So far as profits were affected, one year was good, one poor, and 

 three might be considered normal. 



Profits varied widely. Some farmers made more than enough to 

 support their families and were enabled to reduce indebtedness, 

 improve their farms, buy more land, or make other investments. 

 Others realized no more than enough to supply the necessaries of life. 

 The two outstanding factors affecting such differences were the size 

 and the quality of the business. On small farms, with poor crop 

 yields and a poor quality of live stock, the sales but little more than 

 covered expenses. On large farms, with good crop yields and good 

 live stock, the sales far exceeded the expenses. 



In five years there was a decided change from sheep to cattle. 

 Sheep decreased 58 per cent and cattle increased 68 per cent. The 

 decrease in sheep was greater on farms that kept sheep primarily for 

 wool production than on farms selling lambs and wool. 



When this study began, butter was the only dairy product sold ; 

 at the end of the five-year period several farmers were selling cream. 

 The sale of dairy products increased $50 per farm. 



Putting up silos aided several farmers to carry more live stock. 



Corn yielded 44 bushels per acre for the five-year average, wheat 

 14 bushels, and hay 1.2 tons. Yields for the different crops were 50 to 

 100 per cent better some years than others, but in no case did all the 

 good yields or all the poor yields fall in a single year. The amount 

 of feed raised each year varied less than the yields of individual 

 crops. 



Price levels increased 23 per cent from 1912 to 1916, and operating 

 expenses 11 per cent. 



There were much wider variations in the amount of crops sold 

 than in the live stock sold. For two years the quantity of all prod- 

 ucts sold approximated the five-year average, for two years it was 

 .above the average, and for one year decidedly below. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF AREA. 



Palmer Township, Washington County, the area selected for this 

 study, is in the hill section of southeastern Ohio and is representa- 

 tive of much of the hill land drained by the Ohio River. The town- 



