The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-08-21
Steady Farming.

Steady farming, with a:good rotation
of crops persistently followed, is the
surest way to success for farmers.
Abrupt changes in order to meet high
prices for some farm products are dan
gerous practices. 1t is within the re-
membrance of every farmer when hay
was 30 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, 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 who
had good crops to sell. Besides en-
riching their soil with the grass, they
found themselves prepared to reap a
good harvest when prices came around
again to their normal condition.
Just now sheep have been at a dis.
count, 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
electricity are said to be driving horses
out of the market, and that it will no
longer pay to raise good horses. I'm
derbred stock is too plentiful, and will
be at a greater discount in the future
than now; but the fine driving road
horses or heavy dray horses will never
lose their value permanently. 1t is
within the remembrance of the writer
when many farmers paid IS and So for
ordinary sheep because boom in that
line was sending everything upward.
There are too many farmers engaged
in this industry who wait for high
prices, and then they rush into that
particular line of work. If sheep
are high'priced they pay exorbitant
prices for stock in order to raise others
to sell. II corn is the leading farm
product that pays well, they turn their
farms into enormous corn-felds, I'M
mindful of the fact often that they do
not understand its culture, nor the ex-
pense attached to it. Frequently they
have to make an initial outlay to adapt
themselves to the abrupt change, which
alone will take away all profits.
Just now more farmers are preparing
for abrupt changes than ever before.
1t has been disastrous year with most
of US. Many have lost money, and are
generally dissatisfied with their condi-
ton. Each one is looking around at
those who seem to be raising something
more profitable. Very often these
profitable products are only temporarily
80, and by the time the change is made
they will no longer pay good prices.
Good, steady farming, with fair rota-
ton OF crops, is the only sure way for
any farmer to make farming sure
thing. Grass, hay, oats, wheat, pota-
toes, corn, sheep, COWS and horses can
not always be Improbable. A proper
system of diversified farming will make
profits certainty on some of the crops.
1t is at any rate good farming. The
land is kept up, not run down. Ex-
penses are normal and OUTLAWS not in.
creased by violent changes. The pigs,
chickens, cows and sheep will all yield
some incidental profits, while the main
farm crops may fiuctuate from year to
year, but not more so than manufac-
tured articles. Fluctuation is charac-
teristic 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 season or two.-Cor.
respondent Wisconsin Agricultural.