FARMERS' EARNINGS IX SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA 
21 
For the farms on which no mushrooms are produced the number 
of crop acres is one of the best indexes of size as far as area operated 
is concerned. This one factor alone accounted for nearly 12 per cent 
of the total variation in operator's earnings on these farms. Taking 
account of the number of cows in the dairy herd as well as the crop 
acres, these two size factors accounted for 19 per cent of the total 
variation in earnings, after eliminating from earnings differences 
in the efficiency of dairy operation. Differences in the crop area and 
in the size of the dairy herds were responsible for one-fifth of the dif- 
ferences in incomes on the regular farms of this area. 7 
Table 18. — Average operator's earnings on dairy farms, according to the number 
of crop acres and the number of cows kept * 
Acreage in crops 
Number of cows 
16 to 30 
acres 
31 to 45 
acres 
46 to 60 
acres 
61 to 75 
acres 
76 to 90 
acres 
91 to 105 
acres 
106 to 120 
acres 
6 to 10 
Dollars 
2 600 
980 
Dollars 
670, 
810 
1,870 
Dollars 
670 
950 
950 
1,480 
Dollars 
710 
960 
■ 1,340 
660 
Dollars 
Dollars 
Dollars 
11 to 15. 
610 
1,120 
1,320 
1,810 
1,110 
290 
1,670 
1,550 
"~~~1,~280~ 
16 to 20. 
1,320 
21 to 25 
26 to 30 
All size herds. 
680 
870 
y70 
1,050 
1,040 
1 These two factors, including the effects of such other factors as tend to vary with them, have a multiple 
correlation of but i?=0.42 with operator's earnings In interpreting this table it must therefore be remem- 
bered that these are by no means the most important causes of differences in earnings. 
' Figures shown only for groups of three or more farms, and only to the nearest $10. 
Table 18 shows how the average operator's earnings varied on the 
dairy farms with differences in the number of cows and the area in 
crops. In general, the more cows that were kept on a given acreage 
in crops the higher were the profits, but the acres of crops that were 
grown for a given number of cows had little effect upon the profits. 
In most groups the farms with 21 to 25 cows made $500 to over 81,000 
more than did the farms with 11 to 15 cows. Taking farms with the 
same number of cows, farms of 61 to 75 crop acres in two cases showed 
average operator's earnings a little above the farms of 31 to 45 crop 
acres, but in one case much lower. Since the larger farms in general 
kept more cows, the average operator's earnings for all the farms of 
given size-groups were larger for the larger farms. 
Table 19. — Average operator's earnings on groups of farms, by acres in crops 
Dairy farms 
Small dairy 
farms 
Crop farms 
Mushroom- 
dairy farms 
Mushroom 
farms 
Acres in crops 
Farms 
Opera- 
tor's 
earn- 
ings 
Farms 
Opera- 
tor's 
earn- 
ings 
Farms 
Opera- 
tor's 
earn- 
ings 
Farms 
Opera- 
tor's 
earn- 
ings 
Farms 
Opera- 
tor's 
earn- 
ings 
X umber 
Dollars 
Number 
2 
11 
12 
6 
5 
Dollars 
240 
460 
800 
1,260 
1,380 
Number 
Dollars 
Number 
Dollars 
Number Dollars 
9 L380 
16 to 30 
16 
01 
76 
48 
38 
18 
680 
870 
970 
1,047 
1,110 
1 980 
2 
4 
5 
6 
7 
1 
2 
660 
200 
190 
290 
1,040 
3 
2 
6 
7 
3 
1 
2 
550 
1,330 
8 
2 
1,630 
31 to 45 
110 
46 to 60 
1, 160 3 
4, 660 2 
2.610 
61 to 75 
2. 1 10 
76 to 90 
2, 150 
3 
1. 910 
91 to 105 
106 to 120 
6 
1,600 
1,170 
i These statements are based on the multiple correlation study described on page 57. 
