16 BULLETIN 341, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Such marked changes in type of farming as have just been men- 
tioned practically never occur except as the result of a permanent. 
change in economic or other condit:ons affecting the profitableness 
of types of farming. Since the market-milk business rose to promi- 
nence in the area here under consideration agriculture has remained 
remarkably stable, and the types of farming found are, in the main, 
those adapted to the prevailing conditions. Occasionally, however, 
a farm is found on which a wrong type has been undertaken. This is 
because the forces which determine type of farming are not generally 
understood. Even when most of the farmers of a region are follow- 
ing the types of farming they should follow, it is not clearly under- 
stood that this is the case, a statement the truth of which is proved 
by the fact that a considerable proportion of the farmers in almost 
every locality have undertaken things that are well-nigh impossible 
under their conditions. Now a farm-management survey may be 
made to show what types of farming are producing the best results 
in the region surveyed. As will appear later, the results set forth 
in this bulletin indicate quite clearly what local practices are most 
profitable, at least in many cases. These results should be useful to 
those who are already following the best practice by confirming their 
judgment and thus preventing possible departure from the best 
practice through lack of knowledge of what is best. It should 
help those who are making mistakes by pointing out to them wherein 
they are in error. 
The conclusions reached in this bulletin concerning cropping sys- 
tems and types of farming best suited to the conditions of this region 
will undoubtedly apply to a much wider area than that from which 
they are directly drawn—in short, to practically all localities in this 
general region in which similar conditions prevail. 
Type of farming is determined by the enterprises which constitute 
the basis of the farm business; that is, by the crops grown, the live 
stock kept, etc. But since the importance of an enterprise depends 
on the income from it, it is customary to classify farms according to 
sources of income. Ordinarily, when any one enterprise produces 
as much as 40 per cent of the income of a farm, the farm is said to 
belong to the type represented by that enterprise. Relatively few 
farms have this large a proportion of income from a single enter- 
prise, so that in most cases it is necessary to mention more than one 
source of income in describing the type of a particular farm. The 
farms in the area here under consideration will be considered, first, 
from the standpoint of the crops grown; second, from the standpoint 
of the live stock kept; and, third, from the standpoint of the amount 
of income from different sources, | 
