FARM MANAGEMENT PRACTICE OF CHESTER COUNTY, PA. 29 



group. I lay is more prominent as a source of direct income on 

 two groups of largest farms than on any others, 

 i a general way, with some exceptions, beef cattle, sheep, and hay 

 ease in relative importance with increase in size of farm, though 

 increase is slight and rather irregular. These represent the less 

 nsive enterprises. But the more intensive enterprises, such as 

 Itry, potatoes, fruit, and truck crops, decrease in relative impor- 

 ;e as the size of the farm increases. In the case of poultry, the 

 al income is approximately the same in each of the size groups, 

 same is true of the income from fruit. In the case of potatoes, 

 actual income increases slightly with increase in size of farm, 

 le in the case of truck crops it decreases. 



^e have already seen that the percentage of wheat acreage is re- 

 kably uniform in the different size groups. With the exception 

 he very smallest farms, on which the small quantity of wheat 

 vn is largely used for chicken feed, the percentage of income from 

 at is quite as uniform. Except in the first group, there is only 

 group in which the figures vary more than one-half of 1 per cent 

 i the average of 8.5. 



lie number of farms other than dairy farms in this area is too 

 11 to permit definite conclusions concerning the relation of size of 

 l to type of farming ; but if we. compare the average area of the 

 is deriving as much as 20 per cent of their income from the vari- 

 snterprises, we get the interesting result that the 106 farms deriv- 

 as much as 20 per cent of their income from the sale of hay aver- 

 105 acres in area. This is considerably higher than the average 

 acres for the whole number of farms. Likewise the 10 farms 

 ving more than 20 per cent of their income from steers average 

 acres, and the two deriving this much of their income from sheep 

 age 108 acres. These are the less intensive enterprises and tend 

 gravitate toward the larger farms. On the other hand, farms 

 ving as much as 20 per cent of their income from the more inten- 

 enterprises average as follows: Poultry, 51 farms, 56 acres; pota- 

 , 39 farms, 78 acres; truck crops, 4 farms, 33 acres. These facts 

 all in keeping with the principle that the smaller the farm the 

 e intensive must the farming be for best results, provided, of 

 ■se, the region is one in which the more intensive enterprises can 

 lade successful. 



he foregoing data relate entirely to the 378 farms operated by 

 v owners and not maintaining a hothouse business. There were 

 f the fetter, their average size being 62 acres. Several of them 

 farms of less than 40 acres, but there is an occasional large farm 

 ;h runs a mushroom plant as a side line, though in some cases it 

 ■esents the principal source of income even on these large farms. 



