Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-05-08
Mixed Husbandry.

AT meeting of the Central New York
Farmers Club, held at Utica, the question
for discussion was, In a mixed husband
ry, is it generally preferable to make one
crop special?"
The Utica Herald reports the following
remarks by T. ID. Curtis:
while, as a general rule, think sys-
tenn of mixed farming and proper rotation
| of crops the safest for the farmer and best
for the farm, as it affords the best use and
| economy of time and labor, aids in keep
ing up the fertility of the soil, and saves
| the farmer from the evil influences of ex-
| cessive fluctuation in prices, it seems to
me patent that few farms, if any, are
| equally adapted to all branches of agricul-
| ture. 1t is almost certain that portions of
them are better suited to some branches
| than to others While this difference in
| different parts of the farm fits it for varied
purposes, and makes mixed farming a ne
| cessity in a thorough system, much the
| largest portion of it is likely to be best
| adapted to some one line of business If
| so, then common sense dictates that this
| line should be made a specially.
On a grain farm there should be less
need of making single crop a specially
| than on a dairy farm. While more corn,
| wheat, or oats might be raised one year,
| there might be good reasons why another
| crop should have the preference the next
| year. But on a farm manifestly better for
| grass than anything else the choice
| would necessarily be between dairying
| and stock raising, or a com bination of the
| two. And in combination it would be
difficult not to give one or the other the
preference and something of the character
| of specially.
| If stock raising were to be selected as a
| specially, there would be a choice between
fancy stock, beef, horses, and sheep. My
| idea would be to make a speciality of one
| of these, and to raise few of the other
kinds of stock, for the purpose of using
| up the different kinds of feed most eco
| nomically, as well as to avoid the danger
| of being engaged wholly in line that
might be overdone. If | decided that
dairying was the specially to which my
farm was best adapted, | should still aim
to raise a few sheep, now and then colt,
| and have some beef and mutton, as well as
veal and pork to turn out.
| should also choose between cheese
making and butter making, and breed ac
cordingly; certainly would not indiscrimi
| nately mix the milk of butter cows and OF
! cheese COWS, and work it up into either
| butter or cheese, as the fancy struck me-
| | would make a speciality of butter cows
| for butter making, and of cheese cows for
cheese making. But if by freak, accident
or choice, should happen to possess a
mixed herd, l would keep their milk
separate, and make butter from the milk
| of the butter cows instead of working it
| into cheese, which would bring no more
| in the market than cheese made from the
milk Of ordinary cows l would make
| cheese of milk of the cheese COWS, instead
| of taking off the comparatively small
amount of cream and making skim cheese
or feeding the milk to the hogs. In this
way | should try to devote every animal
| to the uses for which it was best adapted,
! and every part of the farm to such crops
as ii was best suited to raise.
While making a specially Of some one
| branch, to which | conceived my farm
| best suited, l would, as far as its character
and surrounding conditions would permit,
endeavor to raise everything for my own
| consumption, with perhaps now and then
| a surplus to sell. In selecting a specially,
should be governed entirely by circum-
stances. If | wanted to pursue any par
ticular line of farming, | should try to get
hold of farm suited to that purpose. If
| want of means or something else prevent
| ed, or | should come into possession of a
| farm by inheritance or some fortultous
circumstance, l should adapt my line of
| farming to the character of my farm. Ny
aim would be to put everything to its best
| uses. If my ideas are correct, then no
general rules can be laid down to guide
| any one on the question of selecting or not
selecting a specially. Everything must
depend on conditions and the judgment
of the farmer.