Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1870-03-25
Diversified Farming.

We extIact the following from the
State Register, as worthy of consld-
Grafton and practice by our farmers.
If there be one lesson more than
another which has been impressed
upon the people of Iowa during the
past two years il is that we need and
must have different system of farm
ing than that which has prevailed
especially i'm the north half of our
State. During the Iast year of the
war, and subsequently,, until the
past season, wheat was the most re-
muuerative crop, and the entire en-
ergy of the farmer seemed to be de-
voted to its culture. This was no
doubt the dictate of wisdom-while
| the demand lasted; for the man OF
small means could enter upon a new
| farm, baeak and fence his land and
pay for it all with the proceeds Of
his first crop. Every body instinc>
| lively Ynew and felt that this state OF
things could not be of long duration
but as in all other instances of the
kind-in every species of speculation
each one hoped that it would last
just one year more. But the last
year proved "a most disastrous one to
the majority of farmers throughout
all the wheat-growing gions of this
and other Western States. The
closest calculations are that it cost
from IS to 20 cents per bushel to raise
the crop of last year. When the first
of the crop was marketed it COM
manded little more than 81 per
bushel, and lucky was he who sold at
Ihnt tinnn mi it nnonnnH
going down, and has been steadily
subsiding ever since, until to-day it
is worth but so cents on our streets
Upon the proceeds of this crop vast
hopes were built, only to meet with
the most grevious disappointment.
Tho wheat which the farmer now
has upon his hauds-and great mum.
bers have held on the hopes of an APP
probation of priests wort little
over one-half the cost of its produc-
ton!
This teaches a severe lesson, and
not a man in the State but feels its
effects in one way or another. Plans
and hopes built upon the production
of last year have been entirely frus
trated, and the effect has been almost |
to paralyZe business i'm many of the |
exclusively heat-prOducing regions.
But the lesson, though dearly learn
ed, will in after years, if properly |
needed, more than repay and return
to us all that has been temporarily |
lost. We must have a diversified |
system of farming. With such fer |
tile soil as ours, reliance must not be |
placed upon single crop. We must |
raise more horses, sheep, cattle, and |
hogs; we must erect oil-mills and |
raise flaX-plant orchards and raise |
fruit, not only for home cOnsump- |
ton, but for export. We raise the |
best apples in the world! There is |
no crop that can be raised, but that |
some time there is danger of excess
sive production, and consequent in |
adequate prices. 1t is but n few years |
since almost everybody in some of
the districts of Wisconsin engaged |
in raising hops. 1t was thought
that this culture was the sure road to |
wealth, and it doubtless was to those |
who first started out; but it finally |
ruined hundreds, if not thousands, |
and the song of Hops on the Brain" |
made too many of our brethren Of
the Badger State subjects of thought |
less merriment. These hops proved |
powerless even to raise the wind.
Without pursuing this subject far
ther, we believe that every intelli. |
gen. farmer will agree with us that |
his only safety lies in the direction of
a diversified system of agriculture. |
Dependence cannot long be placed |
upon wheat-nor upon any other |
single article of production. And 1T
il nua of tho phpiepSt consultations of !
all who have suffered from the stern |
experience Of the past year, that our
sOil--as nearly ineXhaustible as any |
soil can be-and our genial climate
admit of that diversity in production |
which cannot but prove remunera-
tive-''one year with another"