Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-01-08

. oue-haIf. vegetables 11.6 per cent and
Z fruit Only 63 Practically all OF the
groceries were bought; on the other
hand. the quantity OF fruits and vege-
tables used was in direct proportion
+ 10 the quantity raised on the farm and
where this quantity was great
the grocery bill was correspondingly
low This was found 10 be true of
animal products, including OF course
not only butchers meat. but poultry.
eggs. milk. cheese. etc. Where these
we're abundant on the farm fewer gro
ce-ies were purchased. Since the gro
Gerry bill was found TO be ordinarily
two-thirds OF the entire amount ex-
pended in cash for food. one very OBJ
vious 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 appreciate increase in
trouble or expense.
Next to food. shelter Is probably the
most important necessity of life. In
considering the farmers income. how
ever. a common error IN the past has
been to ignore the question OF house
rent The value OF the land and the
whole considered as capital invested
on which interest must be paid before
the farmer can be regarded IS receiv-
ing any pay at ALL This method, how
ever. assumes that the farm family
Is 10 have shelter for nothing-an as
sumption which the city worker with
,vhom II is not unusual to pay out from
one-third to one-quarter of his wages
for rent alone would regard as most
astonishing.
According TO the recent investiga- |
ton. II the average farmer had TO pay
rent. his home would cost him S125 a (
year. This figure represents 10 per
cent Of the value OF the average house.
Including interest. depreciation and re-
pairs. this is regarded as a fair rental .
charge for the class of houses usually !
found on the farm.
With the information at their COM
mand. the investigators We're 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 assist
ance. Including this with the more
obvious charges for food. fuel, light,
and rent il was found that board and
lodging for each individual averaged
S14.62 a month. But of this sum, it is
to note. the farmer paid
out in cash only % per cent Exclus-
i've OF lodging the board of the aver
age hired man cost SO a month. but
here again the farmer had only TO pay
80. The remaining 81 was furnished
BY the farm as a result presumably
ii the hired mans own efforts.
The averages obtained as the re
suit OF this investigation are not of
course 10 be taken as automatically
exact for the entire country. In the
opinion of agricultural experts, how
aver. they point with convincing en-
,hasis 10 the possibilities of comfort
md prosperity that may be realized
~ p fuller utilization of all the farms !.
-esources. Cash crops are not the
,ole. and on the average they are
lot even the chief source of real in
ONE Il IS really what the farm fur q
fishes directly to the farmer that en- q
.bles him 10 support his family. To i
the quantity and quality of o
his direct supply is one great object
I farm management studies.
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