The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-01-14
Interesting Statistics Gathered
in Cloud County.
Food and Rent Much Cheaper
4 in the Country,
.AvERAGE COST S192. A YEAR
! Kansas Farmers Feast Largely
on Animal Products.
But Few Raise All Their Own
Vegetables.

Z Washington, Jan. IA survey OF 4e
farms in Cloud county. Kansas. where
corn, wheat and alfalfa are the prin-
cipal crops, has recently been completed
: by the United States department OF
agriculture in order to ascertain now
much the average farm contributed to
the family's living in the form OF prod
.ucts grown and consumed olrecty On
the farm. There are two ways OF oD-
tanning the necessities OF life-raisins
them ones self and raising something
else to sell for money to buy them with.
Successful farming. say the experts
depends upon the proper combination
Of the two ..lethOds.
Z The investigators found that In the
areas studied in Kansas the. cost OF
board and lodging on the farm LOT
each individual was on an average $1S1
q year. This sum included food, fuel'
oil. house rent. and house labor. the
fuel, $3.50; oil. $3.50; house rent, $26;
house labor, $5S; total. $192.46.
1 This is somewhat higher than most
Of the results obtained from similar
surveys in a number OF other states:
Each Of the Kansas farms supported
an average Of AS persons on 152 acres
so that in one way or another a reve-
nue. Of $S66.08 was required in order TO
supply the family with necessities. But
only a small part of this total expen-
diture took the form of cash outlay.
OF the labor, for example. only about
j 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 II It had been performed
by somebody else they would have had
to pay. In other words. this labor has
a cash value, and since it adds to the
comfort Of the family. must be includ-
ed in the revenue from the farm. -
Rent Charges, Too. ~
The charge for rent must be con-
sidered in much the same way. the
value Of the farm house is usually in
cluded in the value Of the land. and
the whole regarded as the capital which
the farmer has invested in his business.
If this is done, however. 1t Is only fair
to credit the farm with having fur
.nished its occupants with shelter
which, as every city worker knows. has
q high cash value.
On the Kansas farms included in
this investigation the average annual
value of this shelter, in other words
the house rent, was estimated at Sic
a year, Z figure which included in
>terest, depreciation and repairs, but
was much lower than in other states
outside of the south.
The great factor In the cost OF
maintaining life ID. food. OF this. the
average family in the Kansas area
consumed $449.89, IS per cent or al
most exactly two-thirds being raised
on the farm. I This percentage is a
trif1e higher than the general average
of GO per cent for all the areas studied
but considerably lower than in the
North Carolina area, where it rose to
1928.
NAL products-meat, poultry, eggs
milk, etc.-was homegrown, but in
Kansas practically all the articles
classed as groceries were bought and
in North Carolina only 76 per cent
Kansas gardens also made a compar-