64 



BULLETIN 341, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



days' work, with an average of 878, and 378 productive horse days' 

 work. Their average labor income was 52 per cent above the average 

 of the community. 



RELATION OF SIZE OF FARM TO USE OF LABOR-SAVING EQUIPMENT. 



Table XXX shows quite conclusively one of the striking disad- 

 vantages of the small farm as compared with the large farm. Not 

 only is the relative expense of labor-saving machinery greater on the 

 small farm because of the smaller use that can be made of such 

 machinery, but the small farmer frequently can not afford an ade- 

 quate equipment, especially in the case of the larger machines and 

 implements. 



The region of this survey is one in which the disk harrow is par- 

 ticularly useful. 



Table XXX. — Relation of size of farm to use of labor-saving equipment on 318 

 owner farms, Chester County. 



Size of farms acres. . 



60 and less. 



61 to 100. 



101 to 160. 



Over 160. 



All farms. 



Number of farms. 



115 



128 



113 



22 



378 



Items of equipment ». 



Per cent of 



farms 

 reporting. 



Per cent of 



farms 

 reporting. 



Per cent of 



farms 

 reporting. 



Per cent of 



farms 

 reporting. 



Per cent of 



farms 

 reporting. 



Disk harrow 



Roller 



Corn planter 



Grain binder 



Grain drill 



Hay loader 



Hay tedder 



Manure spreader. 

 Silo. 



Ensilage cutter and feed grinder. 



Engines 



Cream separator 



64 

 96 

 82 

 86 

 96 

 27 

 86 

 100 

 45 

 64 

 64 

 5 



a Practically all farms reported wagons, buggies, plows, harrows, mowers, rakes, cultivators, and harness. 



The soil is rather heavy, and the corn crop is usually planted on 

 sod land. Under such conditions the disk harrow is a valuable im- 

 plement in preparing the seed bed for corn, as well as for other 

 crops. The table shows that only 22 per cent of the farms of 60 

 acres or less possess this implement, while 64 per cent of the 160-acre 

 farms and larger have disk harrows. The roller, being a less ex- 

 pensive implement, is found on a much larger percentage of farms, 

 but here again the percentage increases with size of farm. In the 

 case of the corn planter, 43 per cent of the farms of 60 acres and 

 under and 82 per cent of the very large farms own their own ma- 

 chines. The farmers of this community overcome this difficulty to 

 some extent by owning corn planters in partnership, which is a very 

 satisfactory plan, for one corn planter can easily plant in season 

 all the corn needed on three or four of these small farms. The same 



