6 BULLETIlSr 425, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Table 1. — A7^ea, capitalinvested, and income per farm. 



[Average of 801 farms.] 



Tillable area acres. . 55. 2 



Nontillable area do 52. 8 



Size of farm do 108 



Capital invested $6, 856 



Family income $559 



Family labor income $217 



Farm income $391 



Labor income $49 



The average investment per farm is $6,856, and the family income 

 $559. Thus, if free of debt, the average family has a home, $559 for 

 hving expenses, and, in addition, what the farm furnishes toward the 

 family living. The low labor income of $49 shows that these farms 

 are not doing well as a business proposition, but the small invest- 

 ment, coupled with a fair family income, demonstrates that as a rule 

 those not burdened with heavy debts are in comfortable circum- 

 stances. A large percentage of the settlers are foreign bom. They 

 are industrious and economical, and while their income is small, 

 their expenses are relatively low. 



CROPS. 



The latitude of this section limits the number of crops that can be 

 grown successfully as major farm enterprises. From the standpoint 

 of acreage, hay is of greatest relative importance. This crop occupies 

 approximately 40 per cent of the total crop area of the farms sur- 

 veyed. On these farms oats is second in importance, occupying 20 

 per cent of the total crop area. Corn occupies but 14.6 per cent. 

 This acreage wiU undoubtedly be increased as earlier varieties are 

 developed. The State experiment stations and local substations are 

 doing splendid work along this line. A good proportion of the present 

 acreage of corn is grown for silage. Potatoes occupy about 9 per 

 cent of the total crop area, which places this crop next below com 

 from the standpoint of acreage. There are a number of other crops 

 grown but these are of minor importance. Table 2 shows the average 

 acreage of the different crops on the 801 farms surveyed. Figure 3 

 shows the relative importance of the acreage in each of these crops. 



Table 2. — Percentage of crop area devoted to each crop. 

 [Average of 801 farms.] 



Crop. 



Acres. 



Per cent. 



Crop. 



Acres. 



Percent. 



Com 



7.0 



4.3 



1.5 



2.1 



9.7 



.5 



.6 



19.2 



14.6 

 8.9 

 3.2 

 4.4 



20.2 

 1.0 

 1.2 



39.9 



Peas 



0.6 

 1.1 



.1 

 1.2 



.2 



1.2 



Potatoes 



Beans 



Roots 



Fmit 



Truck 



Total 



2.3 



Wheat 



.2 



Rye 



2.5 



Oats... 



.4 







Buckwheat 



48.1 



100.0 



Hay 











