FARM MANAGEMENT PRACTICE OF CHESTER COUNTY, PA. 65 
 S 
is true of the grain binder. On the larger farms grain binders are 
quite general, and 86 per cent of the big farms own their binders. 
Only 31 per cent of the small farms have this machine and must de- 
pend upon getting a neighbor’s machine. Further consideration of the 
figures given in this table is left to the reader. They show con- 
clusively that the small farms are inadequately equipped, although, as 
we have already seen, the value of machinery equipment on them is 
nearly twice as great per acre as it is on the larger farms. 
DISTRIBUTION OF CAPITAL ON FARMS OF DIFFERENT SIZE. 
Table XX XI shows the average capital per farm, and the per cent 
of this capital invested in land, dwelling, other buildings, live stock, 
machinery, feed, and supplies, and cash to run the farm, for each of 
the size groups. The last two lines of the table give similar data 
for 124 tenant farms and 27 special farms. Considering first the 
farms operated by their owners, the average capital of the entire 
878 farms is $10,486; on the 54 farms of 13 to 40 acres it is $4,453, 
increasing gradually to $23,124 on the 22 farms of over 160 acres. 
The fourth column of the table shows another reason why it is easier 
to make a profit on a large farm than a small one. 
TABLE XX XI.—Distribution of farm capital on owner, special and tenant farms, 
Chester County (per cent). 
Num- Other ‘ : 
= 95 Average F Live | Machin- | Feedand| Cash to 
Size of farm in acres. pene capital. Land. | House. vee stock. ery. supplies. | run farm. 
IPs Gig |) JES GE A dea Gis: |b tes Gls 12 Gix IP ie IPCE 
13310) 410 ees 54 $4, 453 1383 35. 4 28.9 12.2 6.4 2S 11583 
INTONGO 26 - cee eke 61 6, 486 20.9 29.4 25.8 13.8 6.4 2.4 1 
GIBTOVSO 22. ese ee 60 8,948 26.8 24.7 24.9 13.4 6.1 5 Tf 1.4 
SOM OOS Ls eo. 68 11,045 28.5 22.4 25.6 14.0 Da 2.4 1.4 
NOMGOM2O = ool. S. 52 12, 461 28.7 22.9 24.1 14.2 6.2 2.9 1.0 
WIECOMGO. 5... --.-- 61 14, 478 34.8 20.4 22.0 1322 5.0 2.4 12) 
Over 160............. 22 23, 124 34.3 19.9 22.5 14.9 4.6 1.9 1.9 
Total average. . 378 10, 486 28.8 ayy, 6) 24.5 1B 7/ 5.6 743,85) 1.4 
Tenant LATING 124 12, 030 Bis 8) 22.0 Dileo 14.6 oe DES) 1.0 
Special farms-_....... 27 12,893 19.6 30.0 31.9 8.8 De2 1.9 2.6 
The large farms have a markedly greater proportion of their capi- 
tal devoted to land, which is the foundation of the farm business. 
On the other hand, the small farms have a very much greater per- 
centage of their capital invested in buildings. The percentage of in- 
vestment in live stock is approximately the same in all the groups, 
which merely shows the similarity in type of farming and in farm 
organization on farms in this region. The percentage of investment 
in machinery decreases slightly as the farms increase in size. The 
proportion of the capital represented by feed and supplies is approxi- 
Mately the same in all the groups except the very largest, where it 
14138°—Bull. 341—16——_5 
