16 BULLETIN 425, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
In group A the average family income on the 26 farms having the 
better class of cows is $504, or almost three times the average f aniily 
income of the other 34 farms. Undoubtedly the farmers who kept 
the higher quality of cows were also better farmers than the average 
in other respects, yet it is fair to conclude that as dairying is a major 
enterprise on each of these farms the quality of the cows has much to 
do with producing the larger incomes. 
In group B the 56 farms having the better cows have an average 
family income of $771, or about two and one-half times that of the 
34 farms having the less productive cows. As compared with group 
A, a much larger percentage of the farms in this group have the better 
grade of cows. The ability of these farmers to eliminate the less 
productive cows is largely due to better financial circumstances. 
The larger average cultivated area as compared with group A indi- 
cates that these are generally better developed farms than those in 
group A. The selection of cows has, therefore, in most cases probably 
covered a longer period. 
Group C contains no farms on which the average income per cow 
is less than $50. As compared with the farms having the better 
grade of cows in group B, the farms in group C are more than twice 
as large in cultivated acres, have about twice the number of cows, 
larger receipts per cow, almost twice the family income, and more 
than twice the labor income per farm. These increased incomes 
are therefore apparently due to a combination of three major factors: 
Tillable area, number of cows, and quality- of cows. In groups A 
and B, however, all these major factors are eliminated, except quality 
of cows, and the larger incomes may be attributed verv largelv to the 
influence of quality alone. 
The average value of cows on the 801 farms included in the survey 
is S57.ll, and the average value of milk products per cow is $58.04. 
This estimate of milk products includes what the dairy furnishes the 
family as well as milk products sold. Such a low return yields little 
if any profit. With so small an area under cultivation as is found 
on most farms in this district, crops should be fed to better cows. 
The need of more and better cows is generally recognized by farmers 
and business men in all parts of the district. Many of the farmers 
are recent settlers and not well supplied with working capital; it is 
therefore not an easy matter for them to pay for first-class cows. 
Knowing that successful agriculture is necessary to the permanent 
prosperity of nearly all lines of business in this district, the city 
business men in some sections are helping the farmers to raise money 
with which to purchase good dairy stock. The necessary capital 
i^ obtained from the banks, and security is guaranteed by the business 
men who in turn take their security on the stock purchased. Prin- 
cipal and a moderate rate of interest are paid monthly out of the 
