e lands, on very good ground only ten to
fifteen morgen (equal to seven or ten acres), four morgen being
equal to one hectare. Of this land, at least a third, and sometimes
a half, was left uncultivated each year. The remainder of the
fifteen to twenty morgen sufficed to feed and fatten into giants the
immense families of these child-producing Germans, and this in spite
of the primitive technique, whereby at least half the productive
capacity of a day was lost. (From "The State," by Franz
Oppenheimer, p. 11.)
In the Orange Judd prize contest, merely for the clearest account of
a garden, not for results at all, a number of the contestants raised
produce at the rate of $150 to $400 per acre and over, even in
semi-arid regions; for instance, L. E. Burnham says that he raised
on his first garden of about one third of an acre in eastern
Massachusetts, garden stuff which he sold to summer cottagers for
$61.69.
This took about eight days' work, nearly all with a wheel hoe.
Remember about the present increased and changing prices and costs?
At the present writing, 1917, the advances in costs and prices would
probably average about three quarters, and those of common labor
perhaps one third over those given in the text. In other respects,
the instances and authorities, still pertinent, have been retained
in this revision.
It would have been waste, not thrift, to get a new authority to tell
us that straw makes the cleanest mulch for strawberries; that's the
reason they were called strawberries; and they grew just the same
way ten years ago.
L. E. Dimosh of Connecticut raised on one quarter of an acre
$146.21, of which over $85 was profit.
In other cases the profits were $142 (Gianque, Nebraska) per acre;
and over $295 (Dora Dietrich, Pennsylvania); with the rather
exceptional profit at the rate of $570 (Mrs. Hall, Connecticut).
Some showed a loss.
Some of the town or city lots yielded very high profits; one of a
third of an acre gave a profit of $224.33 (Edge Darlington, Md.).
The summary "based upon the reports of five hundred and fifteen
gardens in nearly every state and territory and in Canada and the
provinces, may be considered accurate and reliable. Covering such a
vast territory local conditions are avoided." It shows that "the
average size of farm gardens was 24,372 square feet, or about half
an acre, the average labor cost $26.34, the average value of product
was at the rate of $170 per acre, and the
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