om a study of this
table is that it is wise for some men to operate a farm of 320 acres,
others of 160 acres and still others of 80 acres, because each size of
farm presents a task suited to different abilities. It would be as
futile for one fitted to operate only an 80-acre farm to attempt to
manage 320 acres as it would be unwise for the man capable of conducting
320 acres to confine his attention to 80 acres. Unfortunately while this
principle is not difficult to perceive and is easily stated, it is
practically impossible to make any application of it to an individual
case. Only time and the inexorable laws of competition will adjust men
to their several tasks.

It will be of interest to note what influence in actual practice the
type of farming has upon the size of the farm. The census reports the
average size of all farms in the United States as 147 acres, with the
different types as follows: Vegetables, 65 acres; fruits, 75 acres;
dairy products, 120 acres; hay and grain, 159 acres; and live stock,
227 acres. Speaking in a very general way, only about one-half the
land on these farms is in cultivated crops, while only 40% of the
income may be from the products which cause the farm to be thus
classified. The young farmer will do well to have these figures in
mind when he starts out in life, for while they are not to be followed
literally, they give him a measuring stick with which to compare his
operations.

CHAPTER VII

SELECTION OF FARM

Having some of these preliminary questions settled, or at least well
in mind, the young farmer is ready to inspect individual farms with a
view to purchasing or renting. He should examine each farm from four
general aspects, namely: (1) The character and topography of the soil,
(2) the climatic conditions, including healthfulness and water supply,
(3) the location, and (4) the improvements.

It may be well at the outset to emphasize the advantage which even a
small difference in fertility may bring. Suppose one farm is capable
of raising fifteen bushels of wheat per acre and another twenty
bushels. If wheat is 80 cents a bushel, then the gross income is $12
and $16 respectively. If it is assumed that it costs in either case
for seed, labor and interest on investment $8 an acre to raise and
harvest the crop, then it will be seen that an increase of five
bushels an acre doubles the profit. The comparison is perhap