FARM MANAGEMENT PRACTICE OF CHESTER COUNTY, PA. 49 
the 2 farms deriving a greater portion of income from them made 
labor incomes 39 per cent below the average. As has already been 
stated, sheep represent a form of extensive farming which, in this 
region as elsewhere, tends to gravitate toward the larger farms. 
In regions where the farms are not heavily stocked with animals 
that are capable of consuming the coarse roughage and the natural 
growth that wouid go to waste on various parts of the farm, it would 
probably pay to keep a small flock of sheep as scavengers. So long 
as their feed consists largely of such materials they should be profit- 
able. Small numbers of sheep may be moved about the farm in such 
a way as to avoid largely the danger of infection from parasites. 
When large numbers are kept the battle against parasites becomes a 
severe one. Generally speaking, the eastern farmer can not com- 
pete with the western ranges and those of the Appalachian Moun- 
tain country in raising sheep. The winter feeding of lambs is a dif- 
ferent business. No examples of it were found in this area. It is too 
far removed from the source of supply of feeders. Most of the farms 
are also too small to make this business satisfactory. The profits are 
too small for the small farmer. 
Swine.—In the days before the development of the dairy industry 
here, and during the early history of dairying, when butter making 
was its prominent feature, swine occupied an important position in 
the agriculture of Chester County. The Chester White breed of 
swine originated here and took its name from that of the county. 
Since the decline of butter making swine have assumed a minor place 
in the local agriculture, though they are quite generally kept in 
small numbers as a means of producing home supplies. About half 
the farms analyzed in this survey sold a small quantity of pork 
products. Five of them derived from 20 to 30 per cent of their 
income from this source and 24 others from 10 to 20 per cent. On 
the face of the returns those farms deriving part of their income 
from swine made greater profits than those that did not, but the 
data are not sufficiently extensive to demonstrate that hogs are more 
profitable here than the local farmers generaily consider them to be. 
So far as they go, the indications are that it would pay these farmers 
to give more attention to swine. 
Most profitable combination of enterprises—From the foregoing 
discussion it appears that dairying may occupy almost any status in 
this region from that of furnishing about one-fourth of the income 
to that of almost the sole source of income, the latter especially if 
the cows are of high quality and the farm is well stocked with them. 
Of the remaining enterprises, the most profitable status appears 
to be approximately as follows: Corn should occupy all the first 
year and a good part, if not all, of the second year of the rotation, 
14138°—Bull, 341—16—4 
