1928] THE AGRICULTURAL SITUATION IN CALIFORNIA 23 
vidual production of every tree in his very extensive groves, and has 
been able to determine whether low. yielding bloeks or individual 
trees could be made profitable by fertilization or special treatment, 
or whether they should be pulled out and replaced. 
Through the farm advisor’s office one can obtain advice regarding 
bookkeeping systems and methods suitable for farming operations, 
and we urge every farmer to institute at once an accounting system 
that will show his costs and give him a real knowledge of his opera- 
tions. When the farmer knows the eosts of erop production and farm 
operations, he is in a strong position to plan for improvement. 
There is a close relationship between the size of business and 
required net income. California farms have tended to become rather 
small in acreage, too small in many eases to provide an income needed 
to care for a family and to meet business tests. For instance, the 1920 
census showed that 29 per cent of the total number of farms in Cali- 
fornia were under 20 acres in size, and 56 per cent under 50 acres. 
This was an increase from 49 per cent under 50 acres when the census 
was taken ten years previous (in 1910). 
One of the troubles with agriculture today is that businesses are 
too small in many instances to meet the demands made upon them 
when prices drop or expenses continue at high levels. This is what 
has actually happened during the past six or seven years. 
Changes in acreage, to fit changing conditions, are going on. In 
one locality, for instance, the original subdivision into forty acres 
has been found inefficient. As a result, the trend is toward either 
30 or 80 acres. It has been found that a family can handle 30 acres 
with but little hiring of additional help; while if the hiring of help is 
to pay, the size of the business must be greater than 40 acres: hence. 
the move toward 80-aere units. 
There may be a need these days for a readjustment in the sizes of 
acreages. Possibly some will move off, selling their holdings to their 
neighbors. It is not too much to expect. 
One of the tasks facing every farmer is to so use his labor that he 
will be employed at some profitable job for as much of the year as he 
ean arrange it. 
Much of our California farm industry is based on specialized 
effort, with few crops per farm. This has resulted in an unbalanced 
labor condition and a serious waste of the farmer’s time. Professor 
R. L. Adams has worked out the days of man labor required to care 
for ten acres of apricots, peaches, prunes or table grapes and the num- 
ber of days of this labor that the owner himself can put in (see