FARM MANAGEMENT PRACTICE OF CHESTER COUNTY, PA. 55 
a business of suitable magnitude. There are still very many eastern 
farms that are far too small for satisfactory results. In this survey, 
of the 378 farms conducted by their owners 54 of them were from 
138 to 40 acres in area. The average labor income made by these 54 
farmers was only $240, which is considerably less than ordinary farm 
wages. (See Table X XVI.) 
Just the opposite condition is found in the corn belt. There magni- 
tude of business is obtained by extent of acreage, and large farms are 
the rule, small ones being the exception. Since there is ample demand 
for the principal products of intensive farming in the region of 
Chester County, it is perhaps fortunate that the average size of farm 
is such as to require at least a considerable degree of intensity in the 
farming. The relatively small farm makes it possible to maintain 
better schools and a more satisfactory social life in the country, but 
this applies only to farms of moderate size in this area. A large 
number of farms are too small to permit satisfactory profits to the 
owners. 
RELATION OF SIZE OF FARM TO LABOR INCOME. 
The relation of size of farm to labor income is shown in Table 
XXVI. The farms 13 to 40 acres in size, averaging 28 acres, are 54 
in number, with an average labor income of $240 per year. This rep- 
resents what the farmer himself gets for his labor and managerial 
ability, the value of the unpaid family labor having already been 
accounted for as.a part of the expenses of the business. 
TABLE XXVI.—Relation of size of. farm to labor income on 378 farms operated 
by owners in Chester County. 
Per cent of 
Size of farms, in acres Number | Average are : a Ee ee 
: ; of farms. size. income. | come $1,000 
or more. 
Acres 
LS 1H) AD, sce eo seeds Se gt a Oe seg a et mh aN In Ga 54 28 $240 6 
PURBUOLO Mem eee ty cae cl aoe ce PE ev ep Re ie 61 52 550 10 
RSI OTS) Mee Wee in Lae Sk Re i eS 60 73 730 25 
BImUORLOOM ee sr Mir ee et nse eo gn Sa eed 68 93 8 34 
HEDIS Op Are eetres ta le A deel ses ee ae ae 52 110 937 46 
IPIGGOR GQ Meme eee ote co ae ee a Poe he Ute ed es 61 136 1,094 46 
161 to 393 EER ETE ee arn Cee PAN ee nt CEE 2 SS 2 203 1,575 68 
- Average bcc icy PSPs nee ga a Se ee 378 90 789 30 
A good many of these farmers found it necessary to obtain a con- 
siderable proportion of their income from work outside the farm. 
In addition to this, the farm family has what the farm furnishes 
toward the family living, and interest on the capital invested. Only 
three of the 54, or about 6 per cent of the whole, made labor incomes 
in excess of SI, 000. The next group of farms, consisting of those 
