Evening star., 1915-01-02
Profit on American Farms
Largely in Products Con-
sumed by the Family.
MOST OF MONEY GOES
TO PAY GROCERY BILLS
Department of Agriculture Insists
That This Item May Be
Greatly Reduced.

the average are not even the chief,
source of the real income of farmers,
declare experts of the Department of
Agriculture, who assert that the
amount of money which the average
farmer receives for his years work is
little more than that which he would
be paid if he hired himself out as a
farmland to one of his neighbors.
In other words" declares the bulle-
tin, explaining this rather astonishing
statement, though the farmer is In
business for himself. the average
farmer gets little or no money reward
for the intelligence and skill with
which he has managed his affairs or
the risk and responsibility he has as
sumed But he must get something in
return or no one would trouble to farm
for himself A recent study. conducted
by experts, shows that in many cases
this reward may best be found in the
products with which his farm fur
nishes him directly. To increase the
quantity and quality of this direct
supply is one great object of farm
management studies.'
The department selected for these
studies large number of farms in
North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Kan
sas, Iowa, Wisconsin. Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania, New York and Vermont.
Farms About Average.
The farms selected for study" the
bulletin declares, though possibly a
little more prosperous than the aver
age, were fairly representative of their
sections, which, it will be noted, in
cluded three corn and cotton areas, two
states in the corn and wheat belt, two
regions where general farming was
carried on and three different dairy
districts. The average value of the
chief necessities of life-food. fuel, oil
and shelter-used each year by the
farm family the investigators found to
be S595.0S. OF these necessities, esti-
mated in money, the portion contrib
uted directly by the farm was S421.17,
leaving s173.91 to be purchased with
the cash obtained from the sale of
products. In considering these figures
1t must be remembered that If the
farmer had been compelled to pay city
prices for his homegrown necessities
this S421.17 would have represented
much less comfort.
'Of the food consumed 63 per cent
was furnished by the farm. This pro-
portion varied greatly in the different
sections, but was greatest in the local
tiles studied in North Carolina where
the farms supplied S2.3 per cent of the
food consumed, while the average in
the New York locality was only 50.4.
In view of the present economic crisis
in the south this fact is regarded as of
particular significance, since it demon
strates Ahe extent to which, with a
proper system of agriculture, southern
farms can be made self-sustaining
Concentration upon one cash crop, cot
ton. has proved disastrous and agricul-
tural authorities are now trying in
every way to induce the people to
adopt system which will lead to con-
ditions similar to those now prevailing
in this particular area of North Caro-
lima
Farmers Eat Little Fruit.
IN this connection the investigation
revealed some interesting facts in re-
gard to the four items of groceries.
animal products. fruits and vegetables
in the average farm family's food bill.
OF the value of the food consumed gro
ceries constituted practically one
quarter. animal products more than
one-half. vegetables 11.6 per cent and
A1ruit only 6.3. Practically all of the
n9roceries- were bought; on the other
Ihand the quantity of fruits and vege-
tables used was in direct proportion
to the quantity raised on the farm and
where this quantity was great the gro
Gerry bilk was correspondingly low. This
was also found to. be true of animal
products, including not only butchers
meat, but poultry, eggs, milk, cheese,
etc Where these were aboundant on
the farm fewer groceries were pur-
chased. Since the grocery bill was
found to be ordinarily two-thirds of the
entire amount expended in cash for
food, one very obvious and effective
way of economizing appears to be to
raise more vegetables, more fruit.
more milk and eggs. In many cases,
experts say, this can be done with no
appreciable increase in trouble or eX-
pense. p.!l. &C.,, .,.
most important necessity of life. In con-
sidering the farmers income, however,
4 common error in the past has been
to ignore the question of house rent
The value of the house has usually
been included in the value of the land,
and the whole considered as capital
invested on which interest must be paid
l'efore the farmer can be regarded as
receiving any pay at all. This meth
I'd, however, assumes that the farm
family /. to have shelter for nothing
An assumption which the city work :
er with whom it is not unusual to nav
out from one-third to one-ouarter of
his entire wages for rent alone would
regard as most astonishing.
Annual Rental Charge.
According to the recent inyes,iea-
ton, if the average farmer had to pay
rent, his home would cost him SIPS a
ear. ihis HRure represents 10 per
cent OF the value of the average
house. Including interest, depreciation
and repairs, this is regarded as Il fair
rental charge for the class of houses
usually found on the farm.
With the information at their com
lnand. the investigators were also in
a position to compute the average cost
of board and lodging on the farm In
this they included an item very easily
forgotten-the value of the house
work performed by members of the
family. This was reckoned on the
basis of the wages that would have
had to be paid for hired assistance. In