4 BULLETIN 410j U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTITEE, 



The Maine areas iii Androscoggin and Oxford Counties were dairy 

 and fruit regions. Apples and dairy products were the important 

 farm sales. Considerable sweet com was also grown for canning 

 purposes. In North Dakota, Cass County was visited. Grain grow- 

 ing is the chief industry there. The farms are large and the distance 

 to market relatively great. Practically no fruit is raised, and the 

 variety of vegetables grown for home use is small. The region 

 studied in Santa Clara County, Cal., is an irrigated fruit area. The 

 farms are small and most of the area is devoted to fruit. The most 

 generally grown fruits are prunes, apricots, and peaches. On many 

 of the small farms all the land is devoted to fruit trees, no land being 

 set aside even for the family garden. A garden to be successful has 

 to be irrigated at frequent intervals, which is not always convenient 

 with their present equipment, since the orchards are generally irrigated 

 only once or twice a year. 



THE FARMER'S INCOME. 



The income received by the average farmer is not great. Studies 

 which have been carried on in different States would indicate that 

 the average labor income ^ of farmers falls considerably below $600 

 a year.^ It must be remembered, however, that the average Ameri- 

 can farmer who is operating his own farm has nearly $5,000 ^ of his 

 own money invested in his farm business. In addition to his labor 

 income he has the interest on this capital, while a large proportion 

 of his needs are met directly by the farm. 



THE FARMER'S LIVING. 



In this discussion only those items of the farmer's living expenses 

 have been included which may be wholly or partly furnished by the 

 farm. An attempt is here made to determine the income the average 

 farmer derives from this source. Upon the size of this direct income 

 depends, to a large extent, the amount of cash the farmer has for 

 clothing, recreation, education, incidental expenses, and saving. . 



The total average value of the three items of food, fuel, and use of 

 house for the 950 farm f amihes studied in this investigation (Table I) 

 is $642, and 66 per cent, or $424, of this is furnished by the farm. 

 The area in which the value of these items was the greatest was in 

 Cass County, N. Dak., where the total was $948 per family, 61 per 

 cent of which was furnished by the farm. The average family in 



1 Labor income: The amount that the farm operator has left for his labor after the farm expenses and 



5 per cent interest on the average capital invested are deducted from the farm receipts. It represents what" 

 he earned as a result of his year's labor after the earnings of his capital have been deducted. It does not 

 Include the value of the use of the house or the fuel and food products furnished directly by the farm for 

 family use. 



2 U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry Circulars 75 and 132, Bulletins 41 and 117. 

 N. Y. Cornell Bui. 295. Mo. Agri. Exp. Sta. Bui. 121. 



3 U. S. Census, 1910, Equity per farm. 



