Nebraska Experiment Station Research Bui. 15 
acres per person. A study of figures 24, 25, 26, and 27 in 
comparison with figures 28, 29, 30, and 31 will bring out the 
fact that the land in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin fur- 
nishesa living for more than is indicated by the size-of-farm 
lines. It will be observed that ordinarily in a grass-covered 
region the 1280-acre lines are found very close to the lines in- 
dicating 200 acres per person (total population). The 1280- 
acre lines drawn across the timber region would probably 
cross about as far north as the lines indicating 200 acres per 
person if it were possible to reduce lumbering to a farm basis. 
A summary of the above discussion will bring out more 
clearly the chief considerations that led to basing size-of-farm 
studies in the Great Plains on simply the area of a county 
divided by the number of farms contained. (1) When a farm 
is defined as the area of land from which a family derives 
a living thru such operations as cultivating crops, cutting 
wild hay, pasturing native grasses, and feeding live stock, 
nearly all of the land in the Great Plains can be looked upon 
as farm land. (2) The area occupied by town lots and rail- 
roads tends to be offset by the number of very small farms. 
(3) The total area of the county gives a stable basis from 
which to measure any changes in the average size of farm due 
to a change in the number of farms. 
•TvtETHC i) of >i • inr: data 
From county data contains, m tPe census the size of farm 
has been determined for each cunty ‘ounties in Oklahoma 
excepted*) in the Great Pbv s region and certain bordering 
areas to the east. The j Includes census reports as far 
back as 1880. Maps drawn the plan of those commonly 
used by the Weather Hureaj a 1 ? here used to summarize the 
size-of-farm data. This method of mapping makes it a simple 
matter to compare the trend of any given size-of-farm line 
with the trend of precipitation lines. 
*Sineo Oklahoma did not develop in harmony with the other states in this 
region, it is here omitted. 
