Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1890-06-28
Speciality Farming for Profit.

| NIItcS do lOliOWS On lIlC stpONC ouD.CNe
in the Practical Farmer: When we be-
gan farming we kept a dairy and made
butter to sell, raised little of every
thing, much as our neighbors did, had
no end of chores, raising ten to twenty
calves, frlssing over pigs, chickens, etc.
In fact we worked hard from early IN
the morning three or four hours solid
before breakfast until 9 or 10 O'Clock at
night, week in and week out. We fol-
| lowed what is known as (and highly
praised by nearly every One) mixed
farming" We Just drudged and bare
ly existed. We had so many things to
attend to that very few were done any
thing like well. We made money on
some things, but lost on others; so the
average was altogether too low.
Wei, after time we sold the dairy,
all but one COW to give us milk and
cream. The oat crop was dropped, and
! then corn. We cleared out the chickens
for good, and sent the pigs to keep them
company. Not having any dairy, of
course we quit fussing hours every day
raising calves. All this was not done in
year by any means. We had to feel
our way along carefully, as we must live
and pay our interest, and the margin
was too small to make any mistake on.
Eventually we got down to growing
three crops, viz: clover, potatoes and
wheat. We can attend to them about
as we'll as we know how or can study
out how, and this with pretty large
fruit garden keeps us just as busy as we
want to be, or as anyone ought to be.
We work now from eight to ten hours a
day only, as rule, and have time, after
thoroughly attending to our crops, to
keep our lawn moved and everything
neat and i'll order, and to enjoy life
somewhat. The returns from such
farming have been ample IL dollars, to
improve the farm most thoroughly, and
give us money at interest, and afford US
abundance to live on. We might have
lived and died following mixed farming,
as we began, and never got even COM
fortably fixed.
Now, if you want to call this speciality
farming and sneer at it, why you can;
but the fact remains that it is the way to
make money. We found out after q few
years what our farm was particularly
adapted for, and these crops we raised,
and other things needed were bought.
This was simply good business manage
ment. Growing but two crops to sell,
we had time to study how best to take
care Of them, and then to put in practice
what we learned We had time to I'M
der-drain and to do all the labor Of the
season at just the right time for the best
results; in short, to run the farm, and
not let it run us from spring until fall.
Now, "by their fruits We shall know
Them" SO you must excuse the brag-
cling; but really doubt whether there
are any farms in this county, of three
times as many acres as mine, where
mixed farming is pursued, that can
show the net profit that this farm has
for the last ten years. ! would except,
of course, any farm near a large city,
where a retail market gave unusual ia
cilities | have in mind a friend who
farms on six times as much land as [ do.
He is a go-ahead, pushing, hard-work-
ing man. But he is working himself
and his wife towards the grave altogeth
er too fast. He milks some forty COWS,
raises as many acres OF wheat, half as
many of oats and ensilage, and other
corn largely, and twice as many acres of
potatoes as | do. He raises pigs, and
colts and chickens, and | haven't told
all. But the business is too big; there
are two many leaks, too many worries,
too little chance to do thorough work
(the kind that pays, too little profit for
the wear and tear.
If | had that farm | would sell three
fourths Of it for just what it would
bring and put the money at interest,
discharge two or three hired men,
and with one good man keep a small
dairy and raise ensilage corn to feed the
COWS, and wheat, SO as to have the straw
to bed them, and clover and nothing
else Then / would take comfort in do
ing thorough work and make money
and live like prince.
At our Farmers Institutes nothing
seems so rouse up SO much opposition
as for one to say word in favor Of
speciality farming. One great argument
brought forward to crush it is, that
in mixed farming all crops will not fail
at once some will do WE'LL but where
man has all his eggs in one basket
failure would ruin him. Oh. dear!
What is the difference if they are all in
one basket, if the handle is strong and
you are careful? Can one take care of
dozen baskets better than one? There
is such a thing as luck, but nineteen
times out of twenty our luck is what we
make it. The man who starts out with
| the idea that some of his
crops will fail anyway, will
be pretty apt to have them fail, or let
/ them, particularly when he has three
/ times as much to do as he can get time
/ to study over and do to the very best
advantage. The writer has got out of
| this old rut and found much better
road There has never been year
| when his speciality farming failed to
/ mol him q oood liyinr ri has 0ftan