FARMING IN SOUTHWESTERN KENTUCKY. 5 
lespedeza with red clover and raise more live stock, the most funda- 
mental and important problem in farming for this locality will be 
solved. 
RETURNS FROM LIVE STOCK. 
While crop yield is one of the more important factors in farming, 
the return from live stock is just as important in proportion to the 
amount it contributes to the receipts of the farm. In general, live 
stock is kept on the farm to serve three major purposes: (1) To in- 
crease the value of grain and feedstuffs on the farm by feeding them; 
(2) to utilize waste products; and (3) to maintain the fertility of the 
soil. The analysis of 342 southwestern Kentucky farms showed that 
the profits in farming increased with the increase in the amount of 
live stock kept on a given area of land. Farms that had the equiva- 
lent of one cow or horse to 7 or 8 acres of land were almost invariably 
more profitable than those that had a higher acreage per animal. 
The same records showed also that crop yields increased with the 
increased amount of live stock kept on a given area of land. 
An important cause of loss on unsuccessful farms in this region is 
the waste of feed on live stock, especially of corn fed to hogs. Corn 
is now a high-priced feed and it occupies a considerable portion of 
the crop area on each farm, so that unless great care is exercised in 
feeding it the farm will suffer loss. 
A common way to measure profits in live stock is to compare net 
receipts from live stock (gross receipts less value of purchases) with 
the value of feedstuffs consumed. The average of 342 farms showed 
that $107.57 in net receipts was made for each $100 worth of products 
fed. These products were valued at farm prices and included the 
farmer’s estimate of the charge for pasture. The average of the best 
89 farms had $226 net receipts for each $100 worth of feed consumed 
and had an average labor income of $1,155. The average of 46 farms 
showing greatest loss in feeding was $33 loss for each $100 worth of 
feed consumed. These farms showed a minimum labor income of 
$84. A great deal of the material consumed as feed could not be 
. valued, for if not consumed in this way it would have been largely 
waste. — 
TYPE OF FARMING. 
The usual type of farming carried on in southwestern Kentucky is 
wheat, tobacco, and general live-stock farming, these enterprises being 
the three main sources of income. Small farms usually find it profitable 
to specialize on some particular enterprise, such as tobacco, dairying, 
or hay. Diversity of crops and live stock, however, is an important 
factor on such farms. The larger the farm the more important the 
wheat crop becomes, but successful farms of this type have large 
