UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1348 
Washington, D. C. T February, 1926 
AN APPRAISAL OF POWER USED ON FARMS 
IN THE UNITED STATES 
C. D. KINSMAN 
Agricultural Engineer, Bureau of Public Roads 
CONTENTS 
Paga 
Introduction 1 
Sources of Information ^ 5 
Sources of Power Used on Farms 6 
Annual Use and Cost of Power on Farms in the United States 7 
Number of Power Units or Installations on Farms and Number of Workers Engaged 
in Agriculture . . . .< 9 
Primary Power Available and Horsepower-hours Utilized Annually on Farms 10 
Effect of the Use of Power and Machinery on Production and Income 14 
Power and Labor Requirements of Farm Operations 17 
Power and Labor Requirements of Farm Commodities 19 
Distribution of Farms and Farm Lands, and Types and Sizes of Farms 19 
Seasonal Distribution of the Use of Labor and Power on Farms 20 
Factors Affecting the Efficient Utilization of Power and Labor on Farms 42 
Choice of Power 45 
The Future Use of Power on Farms 50 
Appendix I — Tables o ...... 53 
Appendix II — Selected Bibliography 73 
WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OmCE 
1926 
