The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-09-23
Is it Best to Make a Change?

The farmer is often puzzled by some
such difficulty as the following: If he
has been cultivating wheat as a main
crop, and it fails for season or two, he is
generally ready to make a change and try
something else. The low price of wool
makes him inclined to sell his flock for
mutton; if beef goes down butter and
cheese will suggest themselves as a substi-
tute, and thus every partial or total failure
to obtain renumerative return for labor
or capital invested is likely to breed dis
content and an inclination to make a
change of some kind. There are at this
moment, however, thousands of farmers
as we'll as men in other professions, who
can look back a few years and see where
they missed it in making what they sup
posed would be beneficial change in
their business.
1t is an old axiom, that "to become
successful one needs to become proficient"
and frequent changes are pretty certain to
prevent one from reaching this point, no
matter what the occupation may be. We
conclude, from the tone of the letters we
frequently receive, that considerable
portion OF our subscribers owning farms
are constantly on the lookout for an ex-
cuse to make change in the kinds of
crops cultivated. One farmer writes us
that formerly he could raise wheat at a
profit, but of late years this grain has
failed to be remunerative, owing to light
yield. The price has not fallen, nor have
the seasons varied during the period
named, but the yield per acre has dimin-
ished, and to this alone is attributed the
present unproftableness of the crop. Of
course, when man has arrived at this
point, a change of some kind is imperative,
but whether it should be an abandonment
of a certain kind of crop, or a radical
change in the system Of culture, becomes
question worthy of serious consideration.
If wheat has ever been a successful crop
in any particular soil|o region of country
it is pretty good evidence that it may be
again. In fact, if history teaches us any
thing, it is the permanency Of our leading
agricultural products. From this we may
conclude there is likely to be steady de-
mand for the principal products OF the
earth, and there is, no reason why our
farmers should be so ready to make a
change with every slight tiuctuation of
prices in the market.
We think that an examination of the
other leading kinds of grain for the past
| yS0Ao WILL DIV" sAtSt q AAssAA
stands better chance of making the cul.
ture of either one or more of them sue
cess by uninterrupted culture during a
long series of years than by attempting to
change occasionally to hit the market
High prices one year are almost invaria
bly, followed by low the next, simply be.
cause majority of our farmers have nc
fixed system of rotation of crops, but are
constantly endeavoring to meet demand
as unreliable as a weathercock would be
in showing the points of the compass
This constant vacillation has been the
ruin of many an otherwise good farmer
for to use homely adage, their "dish is
bottom side up whenever it rains por.
ridge"
But we find on the contrary that those
who make specially of certain crops o,
breeds of stock, and keep right along
without wavering, regardless Of the price:
of their products in market, are quite sure
to win in the end. We have known meI
near our large cities to make very con
siderable fortune in raising cabbages fol
twenty years or more in succession. Mod
crate fortunes have also been made il
raising tomatoes, onions, celery, aspara