56 
BULLETIN 1466, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
The trends of all averages in Table 19 are indicative of a close 
correlation between the number of years the operator has been an 
owner, the age of the farm operator, the number of children per 
family and the standard of living. This is to be expected since the 
earning power and the accumulative ability of the farmer is usually 
on the upward trend until somewhere near the age of 50. Similarly, 
the number of children and the age of children per family are 
usually on the increase until somewhere near the same age-period 
of the operator at about which the children begin to shift for them- 
selves. Thus, the demands for goods of family living decline with 
further increased ages and correspondingly longer periods of owner- 
ship of the operator. 
The average size of farm operated showed an irregular increase 
from 116 acres per farm for less than 2.5 years of ownership to 197 
acres per farm for 32.5 to 37.4 years of ownership. From this period 
it showed a decrease to 137.5 acres for 42.5 or more years of owner- 
ship. 
FARM MORTGAGE INDEBTEDNESS 
The extent of mortgage indebtedness for the farms as grouped 
according to years of farm ownership might give some suggestion 
of the age periods when children become assets rather than continue 
as liabilities of farm families, and might also give a suggestion of 
the extent to which the growth of the farm business resources com- 
petes with farm family living. Unfortunately, such indication can 
not be had from the information available. The nearest approach 
is a suggestion of practically no relation between mortgage indebted- 
ness and the standard of living, as measured in terms of the average 
values of goods and the percentage distribution of this value among 
the principal groups of goods (Table 20). 
Table 20. — Relation of farm mortgage indebtedness to value per family of 
goods used during one year and to distribution of this value among principal 
groups of goods. Farm families of selected localities in 11 States, 1922-1924, 
owners 
Fami- 
lies re- 
port- 
ing 
Size 
of 
family 
Average value of— 
Percentage that 
mortgage reported 
is of value of farm 
reported ' 
All goods used 
Food 
Cloth- 
ing 
Rent 
Ad- 
vance- 
ment 
Total 
Fur- 
nished 
by farm 
Pur- 
chased 
All 
others 
All 
Num- 
ber 
874 
Per- 
sons 
4.3 
$1, 717 
$731 
$986 
$701 
$254 
$211 
$124 
$427 

406 
59 
87 
85 
69 
63 
42 
36 
27 
4.0 
4.5 
4.6 
4.5 
4.6 
4.6 
4.6 
5.6 
4.9 
1,692 
1,717 
1,843 
1,789 
1,746 
1,608 
1,517 
],853 
1,752 
734 
709 
782 
728 
746 
678 
681 
725 
745 
958 
1,008 
1,061 
1,061 
1,000 
930 
836 
1,128 
1,007 
677 
695 
759 
733 
748 
672 
648 
739 
752 
254 
283 
258 
268 
248 
246 
219 
260 
218 
216 
204 
208 
203 
199 
215 
204 
226 
189 
132 
126 
141 
121 
122 
82 
77 
140 
106 
413 
1-9 
409 
10-19. .. 
477 
20-29 
464 
30-39 
429 
40-49.. _ 
393 
50-59 
369 
60-79.... 
488 
80 and over . _ . 
487 
