The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-08-08
STEADY FARMING.


From the Germantown Telegram.
Steady farming, with good rota-
tion of crops persistently followed,
is the surest way to success for
farmers. Abrupt changes in order
to meet high prices for some farm
product are dangerous practices.
1t is within the remembrance of
every farmer when hay was SO low
that it hardly paid to raise it for
market, but since then farmers have
been making more profit off hay than
almost any other crop. To suit the
change, a great many dropped hay
from their list OF farm crops and
tried to get along without it. The
steady farmers continued to give
grass place in their crop rotation,
turning it under when it would not
pay to cut and sell it as hay, and
when prices went up again for hay
they were the only ones that had
good crops to sell. Besides enrich
ng their soil with the grass, they
found themselves prepared to reap
good harvest when prices came
around again to their normal condi-
ton.
Just now sheep have been at a
discount, and thousands have been
selling them off to raise something
else more profitable. But sheep,
both for wool and mutton, will be
profitable in the future. Several
times in the past the sheep industry
has been at its lowest ebb, but it
revived in time. Steam and cleo
ricity are said to be driving horses
out of the market, and that it will no
onger pay to raise fine colts. There
lever was a time, and probably
never will be, when it did not pay to
'aise good horses. Underbred stock
is too plentiful, and will be at a
greater discount in the future than
now; but fine driving road horses or
Ieavy draught horses will never lose
aeir value permanently. 1t is
within tie remembrance of the
wriler when many farmers paid s.
md S. per head for ordinary sheep
hnnpn in that 1i,n
,ending everything upward.
There are too many farmers en-
yaged in this industry who wait for
high prices, and then they rush into
that particular line of work. II
sheep are high priced they pay exor-
uitant prices for stock in order to
raise others to sell. If corn is the
leading product that pays well, they
turn their farms into enormous corn
ields, unmindful of the fact often
that they do not understand its cul-
ture nor the expenses attached to it.
they have to make an
initial outlay to adapt themselves to
the abrupt change, which alone will
lake away all profits.
Just now more farmers are pre-
barring for abrupt changes than ever
before. 1t has been a disastrous
ear with most of us. Many have
ost money and are generally dissat-
fed with their conditions. Each
one is locking around at those who
seem to be raising something more
profitable. Very often these prof.
table products Are only temporarily
80, and by the time the change is
ade they will no longer pay good
prices. Good, steady farming, with
a fair rotation OF crops, is the only
sure way for any farmer to make
arming sure thing. Grass, hay,
oats, wheat, potatoes, corn, sheep,
cows and horses can not always be
Improbable. A proper system of
farming will make profits
a certainty on some of the crops. 1t
s at any rate good farming. The
land is kept up, not run down. Ex-
pens,s are normal and outlays are
not increased by such violent
changes. The pigs, chickens, COWS,
and sheep will all yield some Incl
dental profits, while the main farm
crops may tluctuate from year to
year, but not more SO than manu-
factured articles. Fluctuation is
of every business, and
farmers have no more than their
share. The shoe manufacturer does
not take up pin making because
shoes happen to be Improbable for
a season or two.