38 BULLETIN 341, tJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



those of Table XII. These figures indicate that while the place 

 wheat should occupy on these farms is one of moderate importance, 

 it is disinctly more profitable to grow a field of wheat in the rotation 

 than not to do so under the conditions prevailing in this region. 



The high prices for wheat which have prevailed during the latter 

 part of 1914 and the early months of the present year (1915) would 

 undoubtedly justify a larger percentage of wheat acreage than that 

 here indicated, but these conditions are abnormal. The price of 

 wheat will undoubtedly fall again to about its previous normal level 

 when the present disturbed conditions have passed. It would, there- 

 fore, probably be wise for the farmers of Chester County to con- 

 tinue their present practice with reference to this crop. 



Oats. — The oat crop occupied 6.4 per cent of the crop area on these 

 farms in 1911. It was found on 238 of the 378 owner farms. In 

 only six cases did it exceed 20 per cent. This crop occupies a por- 

 tion of the second year in the common rotation, along with potatoes 

 and some of the corn. That it would pay better to omit oats en- 

 tirely from the cropping system is clearly indicated in Table XIV, 

 where it is seen that the 140 farmers growing no oats made profits 

 IT per cent above the average, the 141 farmers having from 1 to 9 

 per cent of oat acreage made profits 2 per cent above the average, 

 while the 97 farmers having 10 per cent or more of their crop area 

 devoted to this crop made profits 27 per cent below the average. 



Table XIV. — Percentage of crop area in oats as related to labor income. 



Per cent of crop area in oats. 



None. 



lto9. 



10. 



Number of farms 



Adjusted labor income . 



140 

 117 



141 

 102 



Average percentage of crop area in oats, 6.4. 



Attention is elsewhere called to the fact that an annual hay crop 

 might profitably replace oats in the common rotation system pre- 

 vailing here. The quantity of oats sold by the farmers of this 

 locality is too small to permit any conclusions being drawn concern- 

 ing the relative profitableness of feeding or selling this product. 



Hay. — Timothy and clover hay occupy 44 per cent of the crop land 

 on the farms here under consideration. Only two farms had none of 

 this crop. Few farms have less than 30 and few more than about 55 

 per cent of their crop land in hay. The total area of other kinds of 

 hay is so small that it may be neglected without serious error. The 

 data given in Table XV show that the largest number of farms have 

 from 40 to 49 per cent of hay acreage, and that these farmers make 

 higher profits than those having a greater or a smaller acreage. 



