UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULT 
In cooperation with the 
New York State College of Agriculture 
DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1214 
Washington, D. C. Vv January 1924 
FAMILY LIVING IN FARM HOMES. 
An Economic Study of 402 Farm Families in Livingston County, N. Y. 
By HE. L. Kiexratricr, Assistant Agricultural Economist, Division of Farm Popu- 
lation and Rural Life, Bureau of Agricultural Economics; HeL—EN W. ATWATER, 
Specialist in Home Economics, and ILeNa M. Baitey, Assistant in Home Manage- 
ment Studies, Bureau of Home Economics. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
RMETCLE Pea eens ook fn es wae bac cces eee 4 | Cost-consumption unit and household size 
SECRETS 7 =e ee ee eee 5 aangloet em. Scat 2 Pes st ere I As zs 
Composition of families and households..... 5 | Expenditures per cost-consumption unit and 
Classification of family goods................ 6 factors indicative of the standard ofliving.. 25 
Expenditures and goods consumed........-. SP DINO ep ace be a cate Stewart au Fd tonto 33 
The farmer’s standard of living is a topic which comes up in many 
discussions. In attempting to answer the question, Does the farmer 
get adequate returns for his products ? one runs at once into such other 
questions as, What does his living cost him? How does the satisfac- 
tion it gives compare with that obtained by workers in other occu- 
pations? and, On what does such satisfaction depend ? 
In considering the drift of population from the farms to the cities, 
it is necessary to know how farm life compares with town life in com- 
fort, healthfulness, enjoyment, and opportunity. Such knowledge 
is also needed in the development of extension programs, if they are 
to touch on other phases of farm life than those of actual crop and 
stock production. 
For instance, there must be understanding of what can be con- 
sidered reasonable in such matters as the food and clothing of the 
family, the comfort and attractiveness of the house and grounds, 
and the opportunities for personal improvement, social enjoyment, 
and participation in community interests; also, of how conditions in a 
given region fall short of this attainable standard. 
It is generally recognized that the information at present available 
regarding standards of living is not sufficient for a satisfactory answer 
to such questions. To begin with, the expression ‘‘standard of 
living’ does not suggest the same idea to all who use it. Many 
_ think of it rather vaguely as a goal or an ideal toward which to direct 
65834°—24—Bull. 1214 —1 
