A FIVE-YEAR FARM MANAGEMENT SURVEY IN" OHIO. 13 
$6,378. This investment, together with the farmer's own labor, re- 
turned receipts amounting to $925 per year, $419, or 45 per cent, of 
which were used for expenses in connection with the farm business. 
After deducting the expenses from the receipts, the farm income, 
or the combined earning of the investment and the farmer's own 
labor, was $506. With money worth 5 per cent, and this was the 
average rate paid by those in the area who borrowed, the farm in- 
vestment should have earned $319. This amount deducted from the 
farm income leaves $187 for the farmer's own labor, or his labor 
income. On the other hand, if the value of the farmer's labor, which 
he estimated at $290, be first deducted from the farm income, there 
is left $216, or 3.4 per cent, for the earning of the farm investment. 
If to the farm income be added $87, the value of the unpaid family 
labor which was included as an expense, and then $14, the amount 
of interest paid on borrowed money, be deducted, there is left $579, 
or the amount of money available for the use of the farmer and his 
family. 
It is well understood that a very significant proportion of the 
farmer's living is furnished directly by the farm. This may be 
considered as an addition either to the labor income or to the per 
cent on investment. Data from 16 farm families in Palmer Town- 
ship show that the total value of three important items of the farmer's 
living — food, fuel, and use of a dwelling — was $400 per family. Of 
this amount $325, or $90 per person, was furnished directly by the 
farm. The farm furnished in food products $215 per family and in 
fuel $23, the use of the dwelling being valued at $87. Of the items 
bought food cost $61 per family and the fuel $14. The average 
family in this area consisted of 4 persons, or the equivalent of 3.6 
adults. 
From this table similar studies of the summary of the farm busi- 
ness may be made for each of the years over which the survey ex- 
tended, and comparisons of the summaries, one year with another, 
will show the main points of difference for the various years. 
The crop acreage did not vary more than an acre per farm from the 
five-year average except in 1914, when it was 4 acres below the aver- 
age, and in 1916, when it was 3 acres above the average. 
The number of productive live stock increased 20 per cent during 
the five years, and was accompanied with a change from sheep to 
cattle, the number of cattle increasing 68 per cent and that of sheep 
decreasing 58 per cent. 
The farm investment increased each year until at the close of the 
period it was $552 more per farm than at the beginning. The in- 
crease in the amount of stock and the higher live-stock prices account 
for more than one-half of this higher investment. 
