6 
BULLETIN 848, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Table II. — Summary of the farm business on 152 small farms near Washing- 
ton, D. C. 
Item. 
Farm area acres 
Crop area •. do . . 
Investment 
Receipts 
Expenses 
Farm income 
Interest on investment at 5 per cent 
Labor income 
Value of farmer's labor 
Per cent on investment 
Value unpaid family labor 
Family income 
Interest paid on indebtedness 
Amount available for family living 
Hired labor 
Operator and bis family 
Tillable area. 
10 acres 
and 
under. (45 
farms. ) 
S2, 747 
S794 
S526 
S268 
$137 
$131 
S305 
—1.3 
$88 
$356 
$8 
S348 
11 to 20 
acres. 
(57 
farms.) 
21 
13 
$6, 430 
$1,651 
$1,107 
$544 
$321 
$223 
$351 
3.0 
$54 
$598 
$10 
$588 
21 to 30 
acres. 
(29 
farms.) 
39 
23 
$7,451 
$2, 478 
$1,437 
$1,041 
$373 
$406 
8.5 
834 
$1,075 
$26 
81,049 
Over 30 
acres. 
(21 
farms.) 
57 
35 
$8, 636 
$3,013 
$1,434 
$1,579 
$432 
$1,147 
$372 
14.0 
$34 
$1,613 
$28 
SI, 585 
Months of labor for the vear. 
Note.— Definitions of terms: 
Investment.— The value at the beginning of the farm year of all real estate, machinery, live stock, and 
other investment used to carry on the farm business. It includes the value of the farm dwelling, but not 
the household furnishings. 
Receipts.— All sales of crops, the net increase from stock, receipts from outside labor, increase of inven- 
tory of feed and supplies at end of year, rent of buildings, etc. Farm products t etained for personal use 
are not included. 
Expenses.— The amount of money paid out during the year to carry on the farm business, together with 
the value of the unpaid labor performed by members of the family. Decrease of inventory of feed and 
supplies at end of year is considered as an expense. Household and personal expenses not included. 
Farm income.— The difference between receipts and expenses. 
Labor income.— The amount that the farmer has left for his labor after 5 per cent interest on the invest- 
ment is deducted from the farm income. It represents what he earned as a result of his year's labor after 
the earning power of his investment has been deducted. 
Per cent on investment.— The rate returned on the farm investment after the value of the farmer's labor 
is deducted from the farm income. 
Family income. — The sum of the farm income and value of unpaid family labor, or the amount available 
for family living had there been no interest to pay. 
PROFITS. 
In Table II is shown a general financial summary of the farms 
visited. It will be noticed that the 45 farms having an average crop 
area of 6 acres have the smallest investment, and that their income 
is also the lowest. Only five of the farmers of this group made a 
labor income of over $400. It thus can be seen readily that the 
chances for making a large income on farms of under 10 acres in this 
region are not very good. It is the exceptional farmer who can make 
more than a living on such farms without any outside source of 
income. 
The incomes increase very rapidly with increase in the number 
of tillable acres available. The second group of farms, having 11 
to 20 acres tillable, make an average labor income of $223. Two out 
of every five farms returned labor incomes of over $400. The farmers 
in the other two size-groups made labor incomes averaging over $400. 
