STUDY OF SMALL FARMS NEAR WASHINGTON. 15 



the farm area, it is found that the former group returned an average 

 labor income of $73 and the latter an average of $468. Obviously, on 

 such small, high-priced farms the amount of waste land should be 

 reduced to a minimum. 



MACHINERY AND TOOLS. 



But one-third of the farmers with 10 tillable acres and under have 

 more than one horse. The equipment on these farms usually consists 

 of a one-horse wagon, a one-horse plow, a spike-tooth harrow, a one- 

 horse cultivator, a work harness, and necessary hand tools. Each of 

 these farms also reported 17 hotbed sash on an average. (See fig. 6.) 



Fig. 6. — Tomato plants in hotbeds. Board fence gives protection from cold winds. 



The large farm usually had both a two-horse and a one-horse 

 wagon. The number of cultivating tools increases with the size of 

 farm, occasionally including a disk harrow or spring- tooth harrow. 

 About half of the farmers have mowing machines. The number of 

 hotbed sash increases with acreage up to a certain point, the greatest 

 number being found on the farms of 11 to 20 tillable acres, averaging 

 50 per farm. 



It is very evident that the operators of the very small farms are at 

 a disadvantage in not having enough land to keep two horses busy, 

 thus necessitating the use of one-horse tools, which waste man labor. 

 When plowing and harrowing and all hauling must be done with one 

 horse, the farmer is manifestly not using his time to best advantage. 

 Much farm labor, to be done economically, requires the use of at 

 least a two-horse equipment. 



Two-thirds of the farmers visited had hotbeds for starting early 

 tomatoes, early cabbage, eggplant, peppers, and other early crops. 



