26 
BULLETIN 651, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
can not be utilized, so that the credit of the straw against the cost of 
production declines, which in reality increases the cost per bushel, 
he can not compete with the middle western man who produces his 
oats at a lower cost. The ability to grow minor crops with labor 
and equipment that would otherwise be unemployed, and the fact 
that these crops when purchased are bought at a retail price and when 
sold are sold at a wholesale price, establish very definite limits to the 
extent to which the minor crops can be profitably grown. As soon 
as the farm and possibly a limited local market are supplied the 
profitable outlet for the minor crop is gone. With cotton, the major 
crop, it is otherwise. Cotton is sent into the markets of the world, 
where it can meet competition with cotton from other countries. 
Consequently it has a wide range of adaptability on these farms, 
while with the minor crops the limits, as just shown, are well defined. 
This makes it profitable for these farms to produce feed crops neces- 
sary for home consumption, but if any considerable amount more or 
less than this is grown there will be a decline in the profits. It was 
noticeable from a study of individual cases that farms that produced 
the feed crops for home use and had just enough to insure this supply 
were the ones that made the most money. Those that purchased 
feed were the least profitable. 
We may see from Table XXI how the crops are distributed on 
farms having different acreages per work animal. In the group 
planting 1 1 acres or under per mule, the percentage of land in cotton 
was lowest and the percentage in feed crops highest. The per cent 
of land planted in cotton increased and that hi feed crops decreased 
as the acres per work animal increased until the group planting from 
20 to 23 acres was reached. With acreages higher than this the 
relative distribution of crops was about the same. This table shows 
the natural tendency of farmers is to produce the feed crops before 
planting cotton. 
Table XXI. — Relation of crop area per worh animal to distribution of crops. 
Average 
crop 
acres per 
work 
animal. 
Acres per work animal. 
Per cent of crop area planted in- 
Crop acres per work animal. 
Cotton. 
Corn. 
0ats Cow- 
Cotton. 
Oats ~ w 
Corn, andoat <*£. 
11 or less 
10.0 
13.8 
18.0 
21 5 
5.2 
8.1 
10.3 
14.2 
16.0 
20.1 
3.5 
3.9 
5.0 
5.5 
5.8 
8.0 
13 9 
50.9 
58.1 
58.6 
64.9 
64.9 
63.2 
34.9 
27.7 
24.6 
23.7 
20.5 
24.6 
14.2 
14.4 
15.8 
11.7 
11.8 
11 
12 to 15 
1.8 
2.5 
2.4 
3.0 
4.1 
1.2 
1.7 
1.6 
2.5 
3 9 
9.9 
16 to 19 
10 5 
20 to 2 ; 
8.4 
Q 9 
24 to 27 
25. 3 
32.5 
28 or more 
11.9 i 9.4 
All classes (110 farms). 
20.5 
12.6 
4.9 
2.5 1.8 
61.5 
23.9 
12.2 8.8 
In determining the combination of crops that is most profitable 
for the individual farm the labor supply must be taken into considera- 
tion. Where there is an abundance of labor needing employment, 
