The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1879-04-17
Mixed Versus Special Farming.

! In farm economy the experience OF
successful men points rather to mixed
farming than To special. The case OF
/ liic ldte 81. I. SClliYant, who died sud
dealy last January, j. perhaps tie
must noted in special farming IL
| America outside OF the cotton region.
! Ills great estate AZ -BrOadlands,' in
! !IainpaigR county, Ill, and his 10000
acres 1t Burr Oaks farms, Were mar
Veis Of size Under one management
Torn RAISING WIS mH,e q specially.
ne proprietor had 4 pride ii being
called the greet corn TuiSer. -After I
wonderful career as the great corn
I KING of the West, he dicd almost pen
iIil,ss. Ne would NOT CrlticiSe the
! plans W management of SGcA marked
dbliitE, ana of peculiar force, rs char
;icterlZed the mUst extensive and per
laisi lnOst widely known farmers Of
Illinois.
Another illustriOus example of
special farming is that of Mr.. Dal-
rymple, OF Minnesota; who In one sea-
son harvested $1,000 acres of wheat.
lie believed in wheat Us did Mr.. Sulli-
want IN corn. Yet. with their owner
ship of thousands of acres, these men
made sad failures. The wheat grower
las an extension with his creditors,
we believe, while the corn grower was
cut down in the midst OF his financial
troubles.
The lesson from their experience is
not in favor of special farming on 4
great scale.
In the case OF the former, when
farming 5000 acres of corn lands, on
the pTairieS Of Champaign and Ford
counties, Ill, there must have been
enormous waste, in that much Of the
Land was nOn-prOductive i'll wet sea-
sOHs. The slOughs and low lands
might have been profitable in pasture.
Then, again, the vast amount of fOd-
der wasted annually on the thousands
Of acres of corn, would have been
source of wealth to a shrewd manager
of mixed farming.
In the corn crop the outlay for plOws,
harrOws, planters, cultivatOTs, teams,
wagons and harness is large, and can
be employed only about half the year.
In fact, many of the implements. such
rs planters, can be used but Il few
weeks OF the year. Their storage, re-
pairs and interest on capital are con-
slant forces against gains. The capi-
tai is employed not over six months in
the year. Stables, barns and houses
have TO be built sufficiently great to
Accommodate the number of men and
teams which are actually employed
but six months of the year. As the
men are employed but for the busy
season, they must have higher wages;
and as the proprietor has not work for
them after corn is laid by until gath
ering time, or from July till NOvem-
Der, and new men have to he hired and
broken IN each season, there Is great
loss to the proprietor.
The closest division Of labor and the
finest cultivation and the mOStapprOY-
ed machinery which so large man
asement favored, could not make good
the losses that must arise from the
causes named above.
In mixed huSbandry the teams,
piOws, harness and wagons that are
needed for cultlvating the corn crop
may be kept employed on the wheat,
barley, rye, oats, potatoes, etc, each IN
their season. There need not to be so
many hands employed ut one time, nor
so many teams owned and kept, but
the smaller number of men and teams
may be kept employed at least nine
months in the year.
But if to the raising OF the grain we
add the cattle, sheep and swine, we
shall have new element of prOduc-
ton. and a profitable means for Occu-
pying and recuperlting lands for any
season improbable for cultivation.
BY keeping a part of the farm in pas
ture, and eultivating less, We may
strike the happy mean; when We can
keep fewer men and teams, and keep
them proftably employed the year
round ut a less price because of regular
work, and we can utilize every acre of
land and keep it from deterioration,
and can convert surplus produce into
beef, pork, mutton, wool, butter, chick
ems and eggs, all to be brought into
market ut less cost for transporter
tiOn than the bulky PIOduce of the
farm. Had Mr., SulliVaut lived and
farMed his thousands of acres in corn
from year to year, he doubtless would
have seen his soil deteriOratetl and his
crops falling short year after year. BY
mixed husbandry we may give rest to
the soil and keep it up to its highest
capacity.-Cin. Commercial.