Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1915-03-05
THE WISCONSIN FARMERS LIVING

tributed &C the family's living in the
form of products grown and consumed
directly on the farm. There two ways
OF obtaining the necessities of life
raising them ones self, and raising
something else to sell for money to buy
them with. Successful farming. saw
the experts. depends upon the proper
combination of the two methods.
The investigation found that 10 the
area studied in Wisconsin the cost of
board and lodging on the farm for each
individual was on an average $3.50 a
year. This sum included food fuel
oil, house rent, and house labor, the
| Items being as follows:
Food SsO16
Fuel 1883
Oil 1.65
House Rent 81 90
House Labor $500
S1SO.34
This is somewhat higher than most
of the res ults obtained from similar
surveys, made in the course of the
same investigation, of areas in Yer
mont, Ohio, New York, Kansas, Penn
sylvania, Iowa, Georgia, North Caro-
lima and Texas, the average for all
these areas being only SIG. Each of
the Wisconsin farms supported an av-
erage of 2 persons on So acres, so that
IN one way or another a revenue of
$751; was required in order to sup
ply the family with necessities But
only small part of this total expendi-
ture took the form of cash ouelay. OF
the labor, for example, only about
per cent was paid for, the rest being
performed by members of the family.
Had they done this work for somebody
else, however. they would have been
paid for it, and if it had been perform
ed by somebody else they would have
had to pay. In other words, this la Dor
has a cash value and since it adds to
the comfort of the family, must be in
cluded in the revenue from the farm.
The charge for rent must be consid-
cred in much the same way. The value
of the farm house is usually included
in the value of the land, and the whole
regarded as the capital which the far
mer has invested in his business. If
this is done. however, it is only fair to
credit the farm with having furnished
it's occupants with shelter, whicn. as
every oity worker knows, has a high
cash value. On the Wisconsin farms
included in the investigation, the aver
age annual value of this shelter, in
other words, the house rent, was esti-
mated at $3.50 year. figure which
included interest, dep; eciation and re-
pairs.
The great factor in the cost of main
tanning life, however, is food. Of this
the average family in the Wisconsin
area consumed $352.69, 59.4 per cent or
$209.44 being furnished by the farm
and the rest bought. Thus the percen-
tage of homegrown food was little
less than the general average for all
the areas OF 63, and the total consump-
ton of food was also low, being $50 I6
for each person as compared with the
general average of $50. % and of sos 81
for Iowa The average size of the
farms was the same-S6 acres-ip the
| Wisconsin and the North Carolina
areas but in North Carolina the farm
was made to yield $3.50 65 worth of food
for the family's use, in Wisconsin only
| 5000 A.
The longer growing season in the
south is unquestionably partly respon-
sible for this difference but it il pro-
bable that the Wisconsin men could
have proftabIy paid more attention TO
| the prod uction of food foe home use.
Thus vegetables, which in both cases
were practically all furnished by the
farm, formed in money value 1873 per
cent of the North Carolina diet and
only 10 per cent of the Wisconsin. By
a greater prod uotion of these the groc.
cry bill, which was % per cent of the
total in Wisconsin and only 81 per cent
in North Carolina, could have been re-
duced and the comfort of the family
increased at the same time. The son-
sumption OF animal products-meat,
poultry. eggs, etc.-was approximately
the same in both areas but in North
Carolina the farm furnished more than
81 per cent of these and in Wisconsin
less than 70. altogether the average
person in the North Carolina area had
$50. 80 worth of food in the year, in
Wisconsin $50. 10 and yet the average
farm family in Wisconsin spens more
than twice as much money on food an
the North Carolina one did.
1t is thus apparent that the cash re-
turns obtained from farm may have
comparatively little ~ do with the ac-
tuaI living of the family on it, This is
measured not by money spent but by
necessities and comforts enjoyed. To
increase the quantity OF these which
the farm furnishes directly to it's occu-