The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-06-19
DIVERSIFIED OR SPECIALITY FAR
MING, WHICH:
Advantages Of Both systems.

AS regards mixed farming it is my be-
lief that most farmers would find the
greatest profit from diversified crops hav-
ing a little of many things tO@- This
has been my practice for many " - and
L expect to adhere TO it, but at 0he same
/ time in a wide acquaintance wiAh farm
! ers, the most prosperous ones know are
! specialists. Why, then, do recommend
! mixed farming? Because, TO be success
/ full specialist, requires business quaiif-
! cations which are not possessed by tho
| average farmer, and usually a long ap-
premiership is necessary TO nj MN IOr
| success in it l presume that almost any
! ne4gnDorhood Will show one or more eN'
/ amples of farmers VINO nave Deen sue
( cessfuI specialists, and 1t IS suite common
for some neighbOr who knows nothing
about them except that they are making
money, TO attempt TO initiate them, anu
! the result usually is fiat failure.
/ The causes for failure may be various.
For example dairy OF my village sens
the milk from twenty COWS ana mas
good paying business, his sales averaSlng
about 800 per COW a year lie mas d maze
! the business q study, has learned nrSt
how 10 handle his COWS to get thS most
out of them, his stables are warnA ms
COWS are furnished a clean warm bed, Ald
are fed and milked at regular hours, ~
en- fresh pumped water 10 drink. and the
milk IS handled in the best possible way
Selling crops are grown in abundance 10
tide over drOuth, and ample storage IS
provided for bran, and the years stock
laid in at the time when stocks are large
and prices low. Now let some farmer
without experience attempt 10 start III
the same business, and it is almost sure
that it will result dlSaStrodSly 10 MN,
and it may also cripple the business OF
the successful dairymdn, as the demand
for milk is not sufficient to give a good
support to two dairymen-
The same may be true of small fruit
growing, market gardening, and many
other specialtieS. The man who carefully
studies the business and works up d
trade, always furnishes the best possible
product, and studies economy IN It's pro
duction, making money while the lmlta-
tor makes a failure. 1 do rot Write this
to discourage special farming, for te-
lieve that this is what most farmers
should look forward TO, but they ought 10
adopt Davy CrocketS motto. BE sure
you are right. then go ahead, and not
give up mixed farming until sure mat
they can succeed as specialists The %arIn-
er who confines himself TO Il slnsiS pro-
duct runs a great risk, unless he has
reached such q degree of prosperity tnat
the loss of an entire season would not
cripple him. l would not advise any one
to make a speciality of wheat or hogs, or
melons and deTend on that alone, for hail
or rust may destroy the wheat, cholera
the hogs, or the stupid bug the melons.
l believe the safest way IS to have more
than one speciality, and often one Sug-
gestS another. For example, the man
starting butter dairy finds on his hands
two big products-milk and manure-to be
used.
The first can be turned into pig pork,
which can be made cheaper and at an
earlier age with milk than any other
food and the manure will enable him TO
grow a few acres of some special product
that will find q market at good price IN
his locality. What this product shall he
each one must decide for himself, after
taking under consideration his market,
his help, his boil and his own preferences.
1t may be early potatoes, II he has warm
land adapted to this crop. if near a good
market and he has children TO pick them,
he can make a few acres OF berries pay a
large profit, or he may grow sweet pCta-
toes, or melons, or if near a canning fac
tory, some product for 1t II he starts
with pure Jersey COWS his safes OF cows
and heiferS will soon become quite an
item of profit. The greater variety of
products he grows the more his family
will get from the farm, and with a small
surplus of each he will realize the truth
of the Scotch proverb that Many mick
les max muckle.'
on East View farm we are making
sweet potatoes cur leading specially, and
feeling our way in the nutmeg melon bus
mess, and have good market establish
ed for all the sweets we can grow, alo
aging the melons. Experience has taught
me the value of sticking 10 some line
OF farming, as we not only learn how TO
produce our speciality cheaper and or
greater excellence than the man can who
does but little at il, but we can also do
much better in selling it.
| recall that in my younger days, when
| stood in market could sell out several
bushels OF sweet potatoes a morning, and
my neighbor, who happened to have a
small surplus, would back his wagon up
near mine and not sell a peck unless my
stock run short and he got a chance TO
supply some of my customers.
There are men in my neiShborhood who
can sell every COW they have to spare at
top prices, becase for twenty years hey
have kept only the best, and everybody
near them know that If they buy cow
from them 1t Will be good one.
In short, my advice to the young farm
er just starting in life is, follow mixed
farming, but gradually work into special
ties. Keep your eyes open and your brain
active Choose wisely what VOC can best
produce at a profit, and then learn all you
possibly can about IL, and in time, you can
count on sure succeSS--Waldo R%Fp.sA
Louisville Hame and Farm ate<s