Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-24
SPECIAL CROPS.
A Few Suggestions Relative to Their CUE
tivatiOn.

~ S 1
some particular crop. and if they select
a crop that is adapted to the soil OF
their farm, and it is one that they are
interested in enough to induce them to
become thoroughly acquainted with the
best methods of producing it, there is
but little doubt but they will do better
than if they follow mixed farming; but
If they attempt TO produce a crop that
is not adapted to their land, or one that
they can not become interested in, they
will very surely make a ia lure Of it.
When a farmer decides to enter large
lv into the production of any crop, the
first thing for HIN to consider is. what
he knows about it; if he does lot know
enough about it TO select the soil best
adapted to its growth, and docs not
take enough interest in 1t to learn the
best methods of operation, he had
better continue to follow mixed farm
ing, or select some crop that he is
familiar with. When a farmer does
fully understand the wants of acrop he
should not try to produce it on q soil
that is not adapted to its growth,
thinking he can make up the deficiency
of his land by his superior knowledge,
because by SO doing he is carrying 9
load that. as q rule, is unnecessary.
Our farms most of them have a variety
of soils, so that by properly assigning
the different crops, each one may be
put on to land adapted to its growth;
but if a farmer should chance to have a
farm composed of land that is all
heavy soil, he will contine himself to
such crops as grow best on heavy land.
If milk or butter be his money crop he
will feed his COWS principally on grass
and hay, and if he finds it necessary to
grow any fodder crops for summer
feed, he will grow oats instead of Hun
garlan. If his farm should be of a light
sandy soil and he wished to produce
milk, he would depend largely on WIN
ter rye, corn fodder and Hungarian to
feed both summer and winter.
The farmers success depends largely
or his ability to assign the different
crops to such portions of his farm as
are best adapted to their growth; he
who can not do this had better follow
mixed farming. because by SO doing he
will be likely to get some crops on the
right soil. but when he attempts to
grow but one crop. if he makes any
IN stake in the selection of the soil, or
in his method of cultivation, he will be
unable to grow his produce as cheap as
those who fully understand the busi-
ness; so he has to sell at no profit, if
not a positive loss.
When a farmer decides to so into
some special crop he must remembea
that he has got to compete with ex-
perts; therefore. unless he feels very
sure that he also can become an expert,
he should not enter upon what must be
an unequal race. and in the end he will
find that he has made q mistake in
leaving mixed farming.
Special crops, as a rule, require high
culture, and the use of large quantities
of manure OF commercial fertilizers;
this means "a large outlay Of time and
money, thus opening a chance for
Il failure that to the common farmer
will be somewhat serious; there will
occasionally be a year when a crop will
fail and it only one crop be grown
there is nothing to fall back on, as
there will be if several crops are
grown, for some one of them will in all
probability be good. but with a thor
ough knowledge of how best to pro-
ouce a crop the profits in good years
will be sufficient to balance what is lost
in a poor year.
The farmers who have been most
successful are those who have confined
themselves to a few crops that are to
be put into the market for sale. He
who confines himself to mixed farming
will ALWAYS have some crop that Will do
well, SO that he will have something to
sell, but what he sells must necessarily
be in small lots, which as a rule can
not be disposed of to so good advan-
tage as if he had a large lot, and had
thoroughly learned the trade of pack
inc it for market" the transportation to
market is also as a rule much more ex-
pensive than it would be if he had large
quantities. Whether or not it is best
for Il farmer to leave mixed farming
for the production of special crops
must depend somewhat on his financial
condition, as we'll as upon his intelli-
gence, for it requires more capital to
produce special crops than for mixed
farming, for he must not only have the
means to carry his crop through the
entire season., but he must be able to
bridge over a bad season, when crops
do not pay expenses; thus ne must be-
long to that class that u keep a sur
plus VI IuCl1cJ uIU1 NUuCSus "AeAASus
spending it for what he can do with
out. Unless he possesses these require
ments he will find himself at the end of
a bad season compelled to hire money
to carry his next crop through. Some
farmers never can succeed with special
crops because they a not keep the
money obtained in good years to carry
them through the u~nfavorable years.
As a rule it is best for a farmer to
change from mixed farming to special
crops very gradually, thus making him
self fully acquainted with all Of the
wants of the crop before he gets into it
to any great extent. he will then know
whether or not his land is adapted to
it, and whether it is q crop that is
adapted to his taste.
The great mistake which many make
is by rushing into a special crop be-
cause some neighbor has CHANGED to
make IL very large profit from it; they
have an idea that they can do the same
thing. but when too late they find that
their land is not as we'll adapted to the
cro, as their n%eirhbor's. or that there