FARM MAXAGEMEXT IN LENaWEE COUXTY, MICH 



13 



producing capacity of live stock. In regard to crops, maximum yields 

 are sometimes expensive and not desirable, but under the conditions 

 that prevail in this area, unless the soil produces fair yield without the 

 use of expensive fertilizers, there is little basis for profitable farming. 

 On farms where live stock are kept this live stock must be of good 

 quahty and efficiently handled. On farms where dairying is an im- 

 portant enterprise the quafity of the cows, as measured by the amomit 

 of milk produced per cow, is one of the most important factors of 

 success. How these important items mfluence the returns on the 

 farms studied in this area will be shown later. 



TYPE OF FARMING. 



The farms studied in Lenawee County fall under four fairly dis- 

 tinct classes or types, according to predominating enterprise or com- 

 bmation of enterprises on which the general organization is founded. 



-^4r *^;^> 



Fig. 7.— Scene on Lenawee County farm on which dairying is combined with grain farming. 



On this basis were found farms devoted principally to dairying, hogs, 

 and grain; dairying and hog raising; dairying alone; and dairying 

 and wheat production. In each of these classes, however, dairying 

 is of considerable importance (see fig. 7). It is interesting to note 

 that, even with this very general classification, a study of the data 

 gathered shows there is a distinct relation between the type of farm- 

 ing and labor income. For this study 213 of the owner-farms were- 

 selected which conform most naturally to this classification. The 

 results of this arrangement of data are given in Table VII. 



