come farm laborers. That they do not is in large part due to the
fact that the farm hand is usually a member of the farmer's family.
Thus the supply of common labor which is today used by the rest of the
industrial world is not open to the farmer.

Farming differs from some other occupations in that it does not
ordinarily offer the laborer much opportunity for advancement. The
fireman on a railway train becomes the engineer; the brakeman becomes
a conductor. There are opportunities in many establishments for the
advancement of the industrious and clever. A man may enter their
service with the hope of being able to marry and support a family. On
the other hand, all our land laws are based upon the idea that each
farm should be of sufficient size to support only one family. Where it
does support two families, the relation is usually that of landlord
and tenant. The farm laborer, therefore, must look upon his employment
as more or less temporary. The young man who intends to become a
farmer will find employment upon the farm a desirable if not essential
preparation for his future occupation.

The introduction of farm machinery has had the effect of increasing
the price of farm labor while at the same time decreasing the amount
of labor needed. The reason is that the introduction, not alone of
farm machinery, but all forms of machinery, has made man's labor much
more efficient than formerly. Farm wages have doubled since the
introduction of horse-drawn machinery. The labor income in the
different sections of the United States is influenced by the extent
and efficiency with which machinery is used. The relation of labor
income to the use of horse power is shown by the following table taken
from a recent census:

INFLUENCE OF FARM MACHINERY AS SHOWN BY
THE RELATION OF LABOR INCOME
TO HORSES AND MULES.

Number of horses
and mules to
Divisions of the 1,000 persons
United States Labor Income in agriculture
North Atlantic $299 1,655
South Atlantic 163 808
North Central 402 3,036
South Central 211 1,603
Western 510 5,476
-----------------------------------------------
United States $288