6 
BULLETIN 125, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Table 1. — Area, capital invested, and income per farm. 
[Average of 801 farms.] 
Tillable area acres. . 55. 2 
Nontillable area do 52.8 
Size of farm do 108 
Capital invested S6, 856 
Family income $559 
Family labor income §217 
Farm income S391 
Labor income $49 
The average investment per farm is $6,856, and the family income 
$559. Thus, if free of debt, the average family has a home, $559 for 
living expenses, and, in addition, what the farm furnishes toward the 
family living. The low labor income of $49 shows that these farms 
are not doing well as a business proposition, but the small invest- 
ment, coupled with a fair family income, demonstrates that as a rule 
those not burdened with heavy debts are in comfortable circum- 
stances. A large percentage of the settlers are foreign born. They 
are industrious and economical, and while their income is small, 
their expenses are relatively low. 
CROPS. 
The latitude of this section limits the number of crops that can be 
grown successfully as major farm enterprises. From the standpoint 
of acreage, hay is of greatest relative importance. This crop occupies 
approximately 40 per cent of the total crop area of the farms sur- 
veyed. On these farms oats is second in importance, occupying 20 
per cent of the total crop area. Corn occupies but 14.6 per cent. 
This acreage will undoubtedly be increased as earlier varieties are 
developed. The State experiment stations and local substations are 
doing splendid work along this line. A good proportion of the present 
acreage of corn is grown for silage. Potatoes occupy about 9 per 
cent of the total crop area, which places this crop next below corn 
from the standpoint of acreage. There are a number of other crops 
grown but these are of minor importance. Table 2 shows the average 
acreage of the different crops on the 801 farms surveyed. Figure 3 
shows the relative importance of the acreage in each of these crops. 
Table 2. — Percentage of crop area devoted to each crop. 
[Average of 801 farms.] 
Crop. 
Acres. 
Per cent. 
Crop. 
Acres. 
Percent. 
7.0 
4.3 
1.5 
2.1 
9.7 
. 5 
.6 
19.2 
14.6 
S.9 ; 
3.2 
4.4 
20.2 
1.0 
1.2 
39.9 
0.6 
1.1 
.1 
1.2 
2 
1.2 
Beans 
2.3 
Wheal 
9 
Eve 
Fruit 
2.5 
Oats.. . 
Truck 
.4 
Total 
18.1 
100.0 
Hav 
