16 BULLETIN 341, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Such marked changes in type of farming as have just been men- 

 tioned practically never occur except as the result of a permanent 

 change in economic or other conditions affecting the profitableness 

 of types of farming. Since the market-milk business rose to promi- 

 nence in the area here under consideration agriculture has remained 

 remarkably stable, and the types of farming found are, in the main, 

 those adapted to the prevailing conditions. Occasionally, however, 

 a farm is found on which a wrong type has been undertaken. This is 

 because the forces which determine type of farming are not generally 

 understood. Even when most of the farmers of a region are follow- 

 ing the types of farming they should follow, it is not clearly under- 

 stood that this is the case, a statement the truth of which is proved 

 by the fact that a considerable proportion of the farmers in almost 

 every locality have undertaken things that are well-nigh impossible 

 under their conditions. Now a farm-management survey may be 

 made to show what types of farming are producing the best results 

 in the region surveyed. As will appear later, the results set forth 

 in this bulletin indicate quite clearly what local practices are most 

 profitable, at least in many cases. These results should be useful to 

 those who are already following the best practice by confirming their 

 judgment and thus preventing possible departure from the best 

 practice through lack of knowledge of what is best. It should 

 help those who are making mistakes by pointing out to them wherein 

 they are in error. 



The conclusions reached in this bulletin concerning cropping sys- 

 tems and types of farming best suited to the conditions of this region 

 will undoubtedly apply to a much wider area than that from which 

 they are directly drawn — in short, to practically all localities in this 

 general region in which similar conditions prevail. 



Type of farming is determined by the enterprises which constitute 

 the basis of the farm business ; that is, by the crops grown, the live 

 stock kept, etc. But since the importance of an enterprise depends 

 on the income from it, it is customary to classify farms according to 

 sources of income. Ordinarily, when any one enterprise produces 

 as much as 40 per cent of the income of a farm, the farm is said to 

 belong to the type represented by that enterprise. Relatively few 

 farms have this large a proportion of income from a single enter- 

 prise, so that in most cases it is necessary to mention more than one 

 source of income in describing the type of a particular farm. The 

 farms in the area here under consideration will be considered, first, 

 from the standpoint of the crops grown ; second, from the standpoint 

 of the live stock kept ; and, third, from the standpoint of the amount 

 of income from different sources. 



