HS BULLETIN 341, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
at the right and the largest at the left of the diagram. The line 
running clear across the lower part of the diagram shows approxi- 
mately the size of each farm as measured on the scale of acres shown 
at the left. The largest farm was 393 acres and the smallest 13 acres. 
The first farm to reach a labor income of more than $1,000 was a 
farm of about 37 acres. It was an intensive dairy farm conducted 
by a very efficient owner. The first farm to reach a labor income of 
more than $2,000 was one of 80 acres and of similar type to the 
smaller farm just mentioned. The first to reach $3,000 was a farm 
of 120 acres, which was also a dairy farm, but quite diversified in 
character, having several other important enterprises. Quite a num- 
ber of minus labor incomes are shown, represented by the vertical 
columns projecting downward from the zero line of labor incomes. 
The largest minus labor income was found on a farm of more than 
RELATION OF SIZE OF FARM TO LABOR INCOME 
aes ————— ee Cn nn nn en ee 
LABOR INGOMES 
Fic. 9.—Labor income and area of each of the 378 farms operated by their owners. 
100 acres and the next largest on a farm of about 120 acres. Thus 
a large farm presents the possibility of large losses as well as large 
profits. Size of farm, then, is not sufficient; the farm must be 
properly organized and efficiently managed and must be devoted to 
types of farming that are suited to the locality and to the business 
conditions on the farm. The largest minus labor income shown on 
this diagram was due to a serious error in the selection of the type 
of farming. 
Tt will be noticed that many minus labor incomes are shown on ae 
very small farms at the right of the diagram in figure 9. The next 
largest number of minus labor incomes is found just to the right of 
the middle of the diagram, on farms of about 70 to 90 acres: These 
farms were of proper size for a good two-man dairy farm, but for 
some reason they were not organized in this manner and were conse- 
quently not efficient, but some of the most efficient farms found, tak- 
ing their size into consideration, belong-in this group. It will be 
noticed that there are distinct stages in the increase of the highest 
labor incomes as we proceed from the small to the large farms in this 
FDU Natsho he twine type m a yh 
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