The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1920-11-25
FARM PROFITS
NOT VERY BIC
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
MAKES PUBLIC FIGURES FROM
THREE TYPICAL AREAS.
TAKEN OVER SEVERAL YEARS
Agents Found the Farmers Incomes
Were Considerably Larger of Late,
but Increase Is More Apparent Than
Real
BY JAMES p. HoRNAOAY.

BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY.
| observation-disclosures on farm prof
It's, covering seven years in two areas
and five years in third, have been
assembled by the Department of Agrl-
culture. These figures show (1) that
comparatively few of the farmers in
the groups studied have been making
large profits during the recent years
OF comparatively high prices; (2) that
their average return on investment in
creased from about pee cent in 1918
TO I per cent in 1918, and (3) that
most of them are making less than
5000 cash a year over and above the
things the farm furnishes toward the
family living, which, however, consti-
tute Il very important factor.
Specialists of the office of farm man
agement AKA farm economies, who
have conducted these investigations,
say that while the results will not
justify maRing fiat congratulations as
to what farm profits are pr the coun-
try as a whole they believe they
| should have weight in the COnsidera-
tion of the general problem, as in
dicative of the trend of farm returns
| in representative farming sections.
The three groups of farms studied are
| located in Washington county, Ohio,
(25 FARMS hill country 7 years., Gin
ton county, Indiana, 600 farms, corn
belt, years., and Dane county Wis
cOnsln go farms, dairy region, 8
years..
Representatives of the department
visited these farms year after year,
taking records covering the farm bust
ness under the following heads: Dis
tribution Of farm area, crop yields,
! amount of work stock and Of other
! livestock, amount Of labor used,
amount and distribution of farm cap
ital, amount and distribution of re-
ccipts and expenses, value of the fam
lily living obtained from the farm,
amounts of the more important prod
ucts sold, and prices received.
Farm Incomes Computed.
From the figures thus obtained, the
! farm income (receipts less eXpenses),
and the labor income (farm income
less per cent on inyestmenO, have
been computed for each farm and for
each group of farms. The average
farm income of the % farmers visited
! in Washington county, Ohio, for the
seven years 1928, was $610; the
labor income, $276; the return on in
vestment, 4G per cent. In addition
| to the farm income, the farmers had
food. fuel and house rent, estimated
to be worth on the average $3.50 per
year. For 1912 the farm income Of
these farms averaged SJ46, ard for
| 1918 the average was $7l9 These
farms are in hllly section where
the soil IS not especially fertile
The 100 farmers in Clinton county,
| Indiana, being on better land than the
Ohio farmers, made a corresponding
! " better showing Their farm in
comes averaged S1,SjG for the seven
years, 1910 and 1888, and their labor
! incomes. S55S. Return on capital was
| 81, and food, fuel, and house rent
furnished by the farm, 1923. The av-
erage farm income of these farms In
creased from 81 ,2S2 in 1910 to s., 97S
IN 1913.
The farm income Of the 60 Wiscon-
sin farms averaged 81 ,293 for the
five years, 1913-1S, the labor income,
S4O8: and return on inveStment-de-
termned by deducting from the farm
income the value Of the farmers labor
III per cent. The average farm in
come ranged from $1070 in 1913 TO
81 800, in 1913.
Labor Income Not Large.
OF the $50 farmers I'm the three
areas. none made a labor income Of
81 600 for every year Of the study, but
Is IN the Indiana area and in the
Wisconsin area made labor incomes
averaging over 81 900 per year for the
period. Four farmers & per cent Of
! the entire number) made over $500
labor income every year. Averaging
|
time, Is per cent Of the farmers failed
TO mike any labor income at all Ten
uer cent failed even to make per cent
interest on investment in any year Of
the study
Department specialists point out
nat though farm incomes In most
cases showed a marked increase dur
ing the years 10lG-1S, as compared
with incomes for 10l2-15, these IN
creascs ARE more apparent than real
IN view Of the decrease In the pur.
chasing power Of the dollar, The Jurn-
over for the recent years was larger
than for the earlier years, but the re.
,or5s were relatively little larger II
measured IN terms of the things the
money would buy
Children's Bureau Report.
"Twcuty-one years ago. the re-
lation of the father to his child
psrtook OF the nature Of a prop
erty right. The courts could enforce
This right. but on the other hand they
were often poverless TO enforce the
duty Of the father TO his child" says
The federal childrens bureau. Since
1899. IT is pointed out, every state IN
the Union has passed Juvenile court
laws except Connecticut, Maine ana
a RADluM SAFE.