Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-07-24
Advantages Of Mixed Fsrmiss.

Success In farming consists in know
ing how to conduct farm in the most
Intelligent manner. In the virgin sod
Of the West less knowledge Is requfred.
rs the land Is more uniform In its char.
acter. and Is IN condition for successful
cultivation without the necessity Of on
Itching u for the time being. The
Western farmer has, therefore, certain
advantage over The farmer Of the older
States, whore the original fertility of the
soil has been exhausted Yet tho latter
may be, and often is, tho more success
full culrivator of the two. owing to t2,e
diversified character of the soil, which
by proper management. con be made to
yield y greater profit than that of tho
West. This is done by mixed farming.
The advantages OF this system arc
many, but they are far from being as
we'll understood as they ought 10 be.
They are based chiefly upon the variety
Of soil. of which We have the upland
clays and alluyiA loans OF the valleys,
besides calcareous aud sandy soils and
reclaimed peat lands II will be seen
that there is q great contrast between
tho ciays and the pest lands. with con-
siderable intermediate variety. each
kind Of soil requiring for its fullest de-
veiopDient different treatment and
crops peculiarly adapted to 1t. With
the land In good condition, under
drained where needed, deeply and well
cultivated, and rich enough to grow full
crops. wheat will do best on clay. corn
Oh the :AluyiA soil Of the valleys, and
rye and potatoes Oh tho lighter soil,
while barley and oats may be grown
successfully on almost AL, and best on
the suons slluvial and clay loams The
pea will thrive here also, but it seems 10
do better on limestone soil.
AS to the grasses, timothy {Phleum
pratense) and rcd top {Agrostis vulga-
l1s) succeed best In clay, ms they re-
!uire land somewhat moist, and should
hence never be put OH light sandy soil.
Blue grass (foa prStensis) Is noted
for It's great growth ON the Rich caL
careo,ls LOANS Of the West, but will do
we'll Oh any deep, rich soil not too dry.
SO will orchard grass (Dactylos glo1n-
erata). doing better than blue grass on
sandy soil literally onriched from the
barnynrd. Red clover will grow on any
good soil we'll prepared. This is for
tu,Iate, .is each variety of soil may then
be improvelby it, and it affords a SUI
perior feed.
One of THO princip al advantages of
mixed farming is tho keeping Of stock.
III which the dairy takes the lead. Prof
liable returns are realized at once, and
At the Same time tho prOdrctiveness Of
tho land is increased by tho manure
that is made, while tho keeping Of sheep
On the broken and less accessible land
affords further profitable income on
any other way.
Where mixoi farming is practiced
each part Is conducted On reduced
sc;ao, which affords u chance for doing
tho work well aud in good time, and
with less interruption from unfavOrable
weather: The spring grains o. well
as clover and grass seei lnay thus
be got in earlier. point of great i'm
pOrtance. This gives a chance for
planting corn and early potatoes, fol-
lowed by the preparation of lnnd for
buekwhe:,t and soiling crops, the les
soned work of each allowing all to 10
done in sufficient time to begin tho most
important work Of tho farln-the har-
vossing OF the hny crop. Where much
hay'f Is TO bo made, as where tho dairy
Is extended, there il always more or
less hay spoiled by wet weather. some
times tho greater part Of tho crop being
all but ruined. while the last that Is
harvested is Of little nntritivo vsluo
from oyer-ripeness. Hence tho import
ance Of getting tho crop soon gathered,
which the reduced quantity In mixed
culture favors. Time is also afforded
for attending to the corn crop and other
hood crops. Then come the grains,
turn, and all are harvested IN good
time for other lase summer and early
fall wosk. The number Of COWS In the
dairy being reduced q chance is offered
for securing better animals snd taking
better care Of them. whereby the yield
of milk Is increased and tho profit on
it. So. too. with sheep. Where the
flock il reduced there will be less
crow,iing aud better attention can be
given, which res ults in better quail
ity of wool, aud moro and larger lambs.
BY his mixed system, the Eastern
Farmer seldom, If ever, fails to secure
for at least some Of his producte a good
price, and in the best market In the
country. II . drought occur In tho
latter part of the season he has his
early crops that escape It, II his winter
grain is hurt, his spring grain may
ESCAPE, and vice versa He has the
advantage Of securing high price for
his barley when not enough is sown to
supply the brewer. and If there IL an
ovetabundant yield he has it to feed in
stead of other grain that may command
- proportionately higher price. II
cool season affects his corn, it benefits
his POTATOES. If his curu aud late pota-
toes are hurt by drought late in tho
season, the early products. like barley
,snd peas, and early potatoes, may be
depended OIL
Another advantage is tho distribution
Of the work throughout the y ear. Less
hired help Is required. One good hand,
with the owner, if be Is also Q good
worker. will 10 about all that Il re-
quired on an ordinary Eastern farm,
with tho aid, of course, Of implements
and machines q full complement of
which can thus he profitably employed.
The chance afforded to turn down sod
Is one Of tho chief advantages Of mixed
farming. by this prucess the ground is
enriched, and u means afforded for I'm
proving tho land that has been in grain,
and is more or loss exhausted. As cur
druughty seasons hero allow Only few
years to grass, and the Same time to
grain. there is not that exhaustion OF
the soil as where grain Is made
specially; hencs tho land IS improved
and continues to improve in texture
and fertility. Weeds are also better
kept down by variety in farming