The sun., 1893-03-09
DIVERSIFIED FARMING.
BY 8, II. SMITH.

lie SuDJSct IOr utScuSskuu at tAs
last meeting of the Rendsyiile Alli-
ance was diversified farming. There
was a large number present and we
had very animated and interesting
discussion. l viii try and give some
of the arguments brought out during
the debate.
All agreed that it matters not what
kind of farming we go into, there will
not be any great amount of money in
it as long as the market is arbitrarily
controlled by few men, instead of
supply and demand; for the reason
that those who control the market
get the cream, leaving the skim milk
for the producers, but as We must
subsist on skim milk, it is better to
get it from several different sources
than it is to depend upon one source
alone.
The all wheat side of the question
was very ably presented by one of the
members, who maintained that if we
would only have patience and stick
to wheat raising we would come out
all right in the end. Wheat, he main
tanned, was the only thing that
brought the farmers any money, and
farms were increasing in value every
year; but others thought that we had
raised wheat with patience until ii
had ceased to be a virtue, and that
there was no money in raising wheat
and there had not been for several
years, and no prospect for better
price for years to come.
The majority of the farmers that
raise wheat, get all of their money
during the last three months of the
year, and it is soon gone, and they
are obliged to do all their business
on the credit system during the other
nine months. The credit system
may be benefit to the merchant and
business man, but it is curse to the
farmer.
Diversified farming brings to the
farmer many dollars, in the season
when his wheat is all sold and the
money spent, few hogs, few cattle,
and few sheep to sell, and a few
pounds of wool, a little butter, and
even the despised hen and garden
will bring dollars to the farmer when
most needed, and it enables the
farmer to buy for cash, and as he can,
or ought to purchase more for cash
than on credit, it will be to his ad-
vantage to go into diversified farming.
But this is not all the benefit derived
from diversified farming; there is Ole
thing of greater importance than all
these; the all wheat man is continu-
ally exhausting the soil; he is always
drawing from the soil but never re-
turns anything, while the man that
diversifies his farming by keeping
some stock, carries back in the shape
of fertilizers; thus not only keeping
up the fertility of the soil, but in
some instances enriches it beyond its
natural fertility.
[ am Of the opinion that farmers
could better their condition if they
| would have wheat and fax for their
principal crop, and raise a few bush
els of oats to sell, and few acres OF
barley and corn to feed stock, and
potatoes enough for their own eating
and few to sell. There are farmers
in Stevens county that have bought a
large share of their potatoes to eat
during the past ten years; such men
ought not to be called progressive
farmers.
With a little butter, a few eggs, a
few bushels of potatoes, and few
vegetables from the garden, and a
few hams, a farmer can buy his years
groceries, and he will have his wheat
money for other purposes, and the
fertility of the farm will be kept at
par.