32 BULLETIN 12-36, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRTCTJLTUKE. 
tions will indicate the amount of change needed to secure the desired 
result. The operators of the "mixed" farms did more outside work 
than the other farmers, though they had the second highest capi- 
talization and second largest farms. 
During the pioneer stage it is often necessary to supplement 
income from the home farm with outside work. The employer 
expects to make a profit from this outside work, which the farmer 
working out may turn into his own pocket by working for himself as 
soon as he can lay out his business to occupy his full time. This 
general proposition is abundantly supported by the comparative 
results of farm operations where the farmer works out and when he 
spends all his time on his own business. 
PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN CHOOSING AND DEVELOPING A FARM. 
Thousands of people, not only in the Pacific Northwest but in all 
other cut-over areas, have given years of the hardest kind of toil 
trying to clear and cultivate land which should never have been used 
for agricultural purposes. Such misdirected human effort is not only 
an irreparable loss to the individual, but a serious loss to the State 
and the Xation as well. Prospective settlers need protection and 
guidance in the selection of a piece of land for a farm. All guess- 
work possible should be eliminated. Too much is at stake to tolerate 
"a guess'' when anyone has definite information about the farm. 
MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE. 
It is not so difficult to name the factors which have induced most 
people to settle these wild lands — independence of a boss, the-desire 
to live in the country, wanting to live on a farm, or. perhaps, improve 
the health of some member of the family. All of these are common 
reasons, but in most cases the primary inducement has been the hope 
of bettering themselves financially. Not being able to save money 
by following their previous occupations, they are turning to the land. 
Filled with this desire to own a piece of land, the settler usually comes 
in contact with some agency which is very desirous of selling him the 
land, or he may be unduly influenced to settle in a certain section 
purely for such personal reason as to be near relatives or certain 
groups of people. In other words, the prospective settler often loses 
sight of two of the principal factors which later are to determine the 
results of his farming activities, namely, the price and quality of the 
land he buys and the future possibilites of the area. 
Before a prospective settler decides to locate in a particular area 
he should take plenty of time to familiarize himself with the com- 
parative prices and agricultural worth of lands in various localities. 
The State immigration commission, agricultural college, experiment 
station, and county agents can often render valuable help in this 
mutter. Government soil-survey reports, similar to the one published 
for soils of the eastern Puget Sound Basin, are also an aid to the new- 
settler in determining the region in which he shall locate. 
The type of farming which a settler wishes to follow may go a 
long way in deciding the particular area in which he should farm or the 
price which he can afford to pay for land. Poultry and fruit farming 
can stand a higher rent for u>e of land than dairying, because a larger 
business can be done on a smaller acreage. Poultry and small fruits. 
