A STUDY OF SHARE-RENTED DAIRY FARMS. 3 



SUMMARY OF RESULTS. 



Following is a brief summary of the salient facts developed by this 

 study and of the conclusions drawn from its results. While these 

 facts and conclusions are believed to be very generally true of the 

 regions studied, they are advanced here as being applicable only to 

 the 143 representative farms surveyed. 



CONDITIONS AND METHODS. 



Variation in terms of rental. — With regard to what is furnished 

 by the landlord, the chief difference between the farms of the Wis- 

 consin group and those of the Illinois group is that in the Illinois 

 group, in general, the landlord owns the cows and pays all the farm 

 road tax, while in the Wisconsin group he owns but half the cows 

 and pays only part of the road tax. The twine and thrashing bill is 

 usually divided half and half in each region, but in the Wisconsin 

 group the tenant more frequently pays the entire bill than does the 

 Illinois tenant. 



Length of lease period. — In the Wisconsin group, 76 per cent of 

 the leases run for one year only, none being for a longer period than 

 3 years. In the Illinois group, 63 per cent of the leases are for 1 

 year and none for a longer period than 5 years. In the Wisconsin 

 group 36 per cent and in the Illinois group 27 per cent of the 

 leases are verbal. 



Size and type of farm. — The average size of farm in the Wisconsin 

 group is 201 acres, of which 140 is tillable and 84 in pasture. The 

 average size of farm in the Illinois group is 184 acres, of which 

 139 is tillable and 58 in pasture. Corn, oats, timothy, and clover 

 are the important crops of each region. Corn in the Wisconsin 

 group occupies 37.4 per cent of the crop area, and in the Illinois 

 group 51.4 per cent. 



On the average farm of the Wisconsin group 25 cows are kept, 

 while 43 are kept on the average farm of the Illinois group. The 

 Wisconsin cows produce on the average dairy products to the value 

 of $70 per head per year, while those of Illinois produce $94 worth. 



Breeding of cows. — In the Wisconsin group, 74 per cent of the cows 

 are grade Holsteins, and 51 per cent of the farms have pure-bred 

 Holstein bulls. In the Illinois group, 56 per cent of the cows are 

 grade Holsteins, and 53 per cent of the farms have pure-bred 

 Holstein bulls. 



Source of income. — Seventy-five per cent of the farm income on 

 the farms of the Wisconsin group, and 85 per cent on those of the 

 Illinois group, is from dairy cattle and their products. 



Methods of maintaining herd. — In the Wisconsin group, 21.5 per 

 cent of the cows were home-raised heifers that came fresh during 

 the year, and 18.9 per cent of the herds were discarded or sold as 

 dairy cows. The farmers here raise their cows instead of buying 

 them. In the Illinois group, 8 per cent of the cows were home-raised 



