_ 
TRACTORS AND HORSES IN THE WINTER WHEAT BELT. ey. 
$1.50 per crop acre, in the western area; and $608, or $2.11 per 
crop acre, in the northern area. As was the case on the tractor farms, 
there were wide variations in the costs on similar farms of the same 
size, and the cost could doubtless have been reduced considerably on 
many of the farms by more efficient management. 
CHANGES BETWEEN 1918 AND 1921. 
Farmers who did not own tractors were asked for a record of any 
changes in the size of their farms, in the amount of labor used, and 
in tillage practice since 1918; that is, during the three years prior to 
the investigation. Four of the 85 men had started farming during 
that time and their reports are not included in the following discussion. 
SIZE OF FARM. 
Table 64 shows the changes in the size of the farms. Forty-four, 
a little more than half, of the 81 farms had not been changed in size; 
31 had been increased in size, and 6 had been reduced. For the 
entire number there had been an average increase of 45 crop acres. 
As was the case with the farms on which tractors were owned, the 
increase had been greatest in the western area and least in the 
southern area. 
TABLE 64.—Change in size of farm, 1918 to 1921. 
| No change. | Increasedin size. Decreased in size. All farms. 
_ |S Se | ey ee 
Area ber of | Num-| Aver- | Num- | Averagesize. | Num-| Average size. | Average size. 
oe (LEG) SPS) a 
|farms.| size. farms.| 1918 1921 |farms.| 1918 1921 | 1918 1921 
Crop Crop Crop Crop Crop Crop 
acres. | acres. acrés. | acres. | acres. | acres. 
Southern 24 17 258 5) 145 2 331 206 240 | 249 
Western. 30 13 404 14 | 333 3 443 389 375 453 
Northern 27 14 278 | |. 28 1 300 206 246 288 
Total..... | igi 44| 308 i ey 6| 382 | 297 | 292 | 337 
1 Fourfarms notincluded, as they had begun operation during the period covered. 
LABOR. 
Table 65 shows the change between 1918 and 1921 in the amount of 
family and regular hired labor used on the 44 farms which had not 
been changed in size. On the average there had been an increase of 
0.3 month of regular labor other than that of the operator himself. 
The size of these farms was less than the size of the tractor farms 
shown in Table 51, and this fact must be borne in mind in comparing 
the amount of labor used on the tractor and nontractor farms. 
TABLE 65.—Change in family and regular labor on farms not changed in size, 1918 to 1921. 
| Family and hired 
r ; | labor per farm. 
Area. Number | Average | 
of farms. size. 
1918 1921 | 
| 
| Cropacres.| Months. | Months. 
OTT tlt 8 ee ee 17 | 258 oy 5.1 0.6 decrease 
LlUTUTA 22 oe ee eee 13 -| 404 5. 0 6.4 | 1.4increase. 
TOFD ECE Tus 5 esi i 14 278 6. 2 6.4 | 0.2 increase. 
6 pael goee Ry Slee en alee tin tone ieee 44 | 308 | 5.6 5.9 | 0.3 increase. 
| 
