Charlevoix county herald., 1915-04-03

SAIShoiNc HlNcotiBdIlOHS lnIO Tie
profits of farming have indicated
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 farm hand to one
of his neighbors. In other words,
though the farmer is in business for
himself, the average farmer gets
little or no money reward for his in
telligence ant skill with which he
has managed his affairs or the risk
and responsibility he has assumed.
But he must get something in return
or no one would trouble to farm for
himself. A recent study conducted
by experts in the United States De-
partment of Agriculture shows that
in many cases this reward may best
be found in the products with which
his farm furnishes him directly.
When a farm is nearly, if not quite,
self-sustaining, say agricultural ex-
perts, when it supplies the family
that lives upon It with most of the
necessities of life, large money in
come is not necessary to prosperity.
A greater sum derived from a farm
which yields nothing for home con-
sumption may leave the occupants
much worse off.
Under the title CT Farmers Bulle-
tin 635, What the Farm Contrib
utes Directly to the Farmers Liv-
ing" the Department of Agriculture
is about to publish the results cf a
survey Of conditions on large MINI
Der of farms in the ten states of
North Carolina, Georgia, Texas,
Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New York, and Yer
mont. The farms selected for study,
though possibly a little more pros
porous than the average, were fair
ly representative of their sections
which, it will be noted, included
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 in
vestigators found to be $595.0S. Of
these necessities, estimated in
money, the portion contributed di-
rectly by the farm was $421.17, leav-
ing $173.91 to be purchased with the
cash obtained from the sale of prod
ucts. In considering these figures
it must be remembered that if the
farmer had been compelled to pay
city prices for his home grown ne
cessities, this S421.17 would have
represented much less comfort.
Of the food consumed 63 per cent
was furnished by the farm. This
proposition varied greatly in the diff
ferent sections, but was greatest in
the locality studied in North Caro-
lima, where the farms supplied 1913
per cent of the food consumed while
the average in the New York locality
was only 50.4. In view of the pres
ent economic crisis in the south this
fact is regarded as of particular sig
nificance since it demonstrates the
extent TO which with a proper sys-
tenn of agriculture southern farms can
be made self-sustaining. Concentra-
ton upon one cash crop, cotton, has
proved disastrous and agricultural
authorities are now trying in every
way to induce the people to adopt a
system which will lead to conditions
similar to those now prevailing in
this particular area of North Caro-
lima.
In this connection the investiga-
ton revealed some interesting facts
in regard to the four items of gro
ceries, animal products, fruits, and
vegetables in the average farm fam
ily's food bill Of the value of the
food consumed groceries constituted