FARM MANAGEMENT STUDY OK COTTON KAIiMS. 



27 



Table XI. — Relation of size of farm to efficiency of horse labor ( 1 1 '/ farms, 



Ellis County, Tex.). 



Size of crop area. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 farms. 



Aver- 

 age 

 size 

 of crop 



area. 



Horse 



days 



per 



horse. 



Acres 

 per 



h 1 v. 



Ecu le 

 days 

 per 

 acre. 



Cost of 

 horse 

 labor 

 per 

 crop 

 acre. 



CO! I of 



work 

 slock. 

 POT Hay 



oi laboi . 





37 

 39 



38 

 114 



62.5 

 100.1 

 188.9 

 117.5 



60.3 

 66.7 

 79.1 

 71.7 



IS. 5 

 20.6 

 25. '2 



22.4 



3.25 

 3.22 

 3. 11 

 3.19 



$5. -17 

 4.95 

 3.99 

 4.53 



.?1. 68 



81 to 120 acres. . . 



1.54 





1.27 





1.42 







One of the many weaknesses of the one-crop cotton system of 

 farming is shown by the facts brought out in the preceding para- 

 graph. Even on the large farms, where horses are used most effi- 



FlG. 



7. — Relation of size of farm to percentage return on investment, showing sizes 

 favorable for most efficient use of two horses, four horses, and six horses. 



ciently, the average horse works less than 80 days during the year. 

 This adds greatly to the cost of a day's work for a horse. The same 

 difficulty exists to a considerable extent with man labor on cotton 

 farms. There is too much work at certain seasons and not enough at 

 others. It is only when cotton is relatively high priced that such dis- 

 advantages are overcome. Unfortunately, in the past there have 

 been many periods when prices fell below cost of production, and this 

 caused great suffering. 



The graphic illustration (fig. 7) shows certain relationships be- 

 tween size of farms and returns. It is seen that as the curve repre- 



