IRRIGATED FARMING IN TWIN FALLS COUNTY, IDAHO 33 
The rapid and unequal advance in prices just prior to the beginning 
of the study in 1919 had greatly disturbed the agricultural equilib- 
rium, of the district. At planting time farmers were at a loss to know 
which would be the best money-making crops at the end of harvest. 
The abrupt and disproportional slump in prices during 1920 and 1921 
added much to the confusion. As a result there was considerable 
shifting in the acreage devoted to the respective crops (fig. 7 and Table 
4) and in the average return to capital in 1920 and 1921. 
CROP YIELDS 
Where so high a percentage of the total output per farm comes 
from the sale of crops (an average of 83 per cent) as was the case with 
these general crop farms, the question naturally arises as to what is 
the relation between the average yield of all crops per farm and the 
percentage return to the farm capital. Figure 20 is designed to show 
this relation. 
Relation of crop yreld to return to capital.—The farms are arranged 
in Figure 20 in four groups according to the average crop yields of 
the individual farms, namely, less than 86 per cent, 86 to 99 per cent, 
100 to 118 ee cent, and over 113 per cent of the average. “Without 
exception the group average percentage return to capital increased 
each year as the average yield increased. The average return to the 
capital of the group of farms naving the lowest yields (less than 86 
per cent of the average) was 3.9 per cent, 0.2 per cent, —1, and 2.5 
per cent, respectively, in 1919, 1920, 1921, and 1922. In contrast 
with this, the return to the capital of the group of farms having the 
highest yields (over 113 per cent of the average), was 9.5 per cent in 
1919, 4.9 per cent in 1920, 4 per cent in 1921, and 6.2 per cent in 1922. 
The average percentage returned to the capital of the group with 
low yields for the four years was 1.4 per cent while that of the group 
with hign yields was 6.2 per cent. This difference gave the group 
with high yields approximately $950 more net return per farm than 
was received by the farmers in the group with low yields. The 
importance of high yields to the individual farmer is therefore very 
evident. Especially is this true in districts like the one under con- 
sideration where high yields are not obtained by the use of commercial 
fertilizers; that is, where it costs but little more to obtain high yields 
than low yields. 
TaBLE 11.—Average crop yields per acre on general crop farms, 1919-1922 
ates ‘ | 3 : Red clover Aicilea 
alfa ugar ota- Nee es 
Year Wheat | Corn | Barley | Oats hay Beats nes beans) ————— | Clover 
seed 
Hay Seed 
Short Short Short 
Bush. | Bush. | Bush. | Bush. tons tons | 100 lbs.\ Lbs. tons Lbs. | Lbs. 
1OTQee eS 38 47 40 45 4.0 9. 09 136 1, 125 eal 285 291 
T5210 ae a 40 45 39 46 ATL [ho 12255} 162 1, 209 1.0 250 428 
OD Tes 6 aa xe 46 43 40 49 4.1 9. 51 149 1, 151 153 220 331 
OOD ee oes 47 59 53 56 4.1 | 17. 75 185 1, 953 ile, 325 245 
aes 43 48 43 49 4.1 | 12. 20 153 | 1,360 rer 270 324 
96514 °—26——_5 
