STUDY OF SMALL FARMS NEAK WASHINGTON. 
The prospective farmer should study this table carefully. If the 
farm he has in view falls in the smallest size-group, for example, he 
need not assume that he can not do better than the average did, as in- 
dicated in Table II, since many of these farmers made much more 
than the average (see fig. 3). He must bear in mind at the same 
time that it will require the best management and a considerable 
knowledge of farm practice and markets, and that most of the farm 
work will have to be done by himself and his family, if he is to 
succeed on one of these very small farms. 
Table III.- 
FARM RECEIPTS. 
-Distribution of farm receipts on 152 small farms near 
Washington) D. C. 
Source of income. 
Tillable area. 
10 acres 
and 
under. 
11 to 20 
acres. 
21 to 30 
acres. 
Over 
30 acres. 
Vegetables 
Fruits 
Flowers 
General crops. 
Poultry 
All other stock 
Miscellaneous. 
Per cent. 
70.0 
12.0 
2.2 
.1 
4.9 
.1 
10.7 
Per cent. 
83.8 
7.6 
.6 
.2 
3.5 
.3 
4.0 
Per cent. 
80.3 
9.5 
Per cent. 
72 7 
12. 
1.7 
2.0 
2.9 
3.9 
2.0 
Table III shows the distribution of farm receipts. Over 80 per 
cent of the receipts are from vegetables and fruits. The live-stock 
receipts outside of poultry are practically negligible. This table 
indicates clearly the type of farming followed hj these farmers. 
The comparative importance of miscellaneous receipts for the group 
of very small farms is due mainly to income from outside sources. 
Some of the men on these farms do team work, a few work at trades, 
and still others do ordinary day labor when their farm work is not 
rushing, though a small proportion of the year is spent at outside 
work. This additional income is often necessary on very small farms, 
as the farm receipts are not enough to furnish a living for the 
family. All farms with outside receipts that exceeded the farm 
receipts were excluded from consideration in this study. The smaller 
farms also sell the most flowers and small fruits, thus increasing 
their business by more intensive production. The farmer with lim- 
ited acreage must make up for lack of land by raising crops which 
yield a high return per acre. These crops usually require so much 
hand labor that the farmer who works many acres will not compete 
in raising them. 
FARM EXPENSES. 
In Table IV is shown the relative importance of the different items 
of expenditure. It will be seen that in the group of very small farms 
there is a relatively high expense for family labor, which must be 
