TRUCK-FARM LABOR IN XEW JERSEY, 19: 
27 
States. In about half the instances at least gardens were grown on 
the land, but in most such cases there seemed to be no opportunity 
for producing any large pail of the family food needs. About one 
person in four had two or more types of savings. A somewhat larger 
proportion of American born than of foreign born had saved. 
Table 11. — Savings and property of farm employees 
Kind of savings 
American 
born 
Foreign 
born 
All 
laborers 
129 
55 
170 
8 
89 
10 
10 
1G 
7G 
24 
32 
11 
18 
3 
10 
7 
205 
79 
Life insurance 
202 
19 
107 
13 
20 
Bank amounts, life insurance, and real estate 
23 
Total 
487 
181 
668 
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE 
Two-thirds of the farm employees manifested a general liking for 
farm work, half of whom gave no reasons for it other than that they 
liked the work. Others gave such reasons as preference for outdoor 
life, healthfulness of the work, and cheaper living expenses in the 
country. One-fifth of the workers had little or no liking for farm 
work, giving reasons such as that it was too hard and dirty, that em- 
ployment in it was unsteady in winter, that its pay was low, and 
that it held no future for an ambitious person. Some had distinct 
preferences for other work. Some workers expressed a qualified 
liking for farm work. For some it was a preferred summer occu- 
pation, and a few had found that it and other occupations made good 
combinations for earning a living. 
Two-thirds of those interviewed had no ambition to rent or own 
and operate a farm. An occasional employee liked agricultural 
work and intended to stay in it, but considered he had a good 
reason for not caring to own, such as the seeming impossibility of 
saving sufficient capital with which to begin farm operations. One 
man of apparent intelligence very definitely preferred to remain a 
farm hand rather than to incur a farm operator's risks. A few per- 
sons were found who hoped to achieve tenure to the extent of renting 
farm land. One person in 12 who reported hoped to become a farm 
tenant and to use that stage of tenure as a stepping stone to actual 
farm ownership. Twice as many hoped to become owners without 
first becoming tenants. 
In most of the cases of persons hoping to become farm owners, 
the expectations were to reach the goal by saving mone} 7 with which 
to acquire title. Only seldom did anyone hope to borrow the money 
with which to start. Occasionally a person claimed to have on hand 
sufficient money or already owned land with which to start farming 
when a favorable opportunity presented itself. 
One-third of those interviewed, and old enough to have some idea 
of what they preferred to do for a living, stated they intended to 
