The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1897-12-02
AGRICULTURAL NEWS
THINGS PERTAINING TO THE
FARM AND HOME.
Chapter on Farm Economy Less
Acreage, Free from Debt, More De-
sirabie than Large Farms ush-
room Culture Horns Nuisance.
Farm Teonouy.

arm economy
The profits and receipts from a farm
cannot easily be computed for a single
year. Labor given this season may
bring results for years TO come. Walls
and fences that are built, drains that
are dug, and trees that are planted, are
but labor exchanged for profit that will
extend over a long series OF years.
Manure on some soils Is lasting, and the
beneficial effects OF some fertilizers are
more apparent the second season than
the first Labor expended in bringing
new ground into cultivation Is not sup
posed to yield adequate returns for sew
eral years. A crop OF clover that gives
a yield as hay may leave in the roots
and sod much valuable nitrogen as u
supply for some succeeding crop, all OF
which lessons expenses in the future
by reducing the proportion of labor or
manure which would otherwise b. re
quired. Profits on the farm are, con
sequently, much greater when the av-
erages for several years are compared,
as each year must bear its proportion
OF expenses, and failure to secure
profit this year may not be loss, be-
cause there may be corresponding re-
duetl0n of expense next year. Nor
must we overlook the advantage of the
opportunity offered the farmer of sell
ing his own labor in the form of some
product. Where a farmer makes only
small profit, but has derived fair
ann fnp 40 Inl ha N Ity hnStntyf-
ed, his gain is greater than the actual
profit. The farm has Increased in value
as the labor or manure or other accre-
tlon has failed to yield reasonable
cash pront. On the farm the item of
labor must be considered according 10
Its actual cost as an expenditure.
Though the labor of the farmer himself
is an item of cost, and must be paid for,
yet he pays ii TO himself, and it really
Is profit because of the employment Sc
cured by him on the farm. For that
reason "A small farm, or small flock
or herd, will always pay more, In pro-
portion TO expense incurred, than
larger areas or an increase of stock.
The personal supervision of the farmer,
or the interest taken in the work per-
formed by him, will also add to the
gains because of the closer application
given the economy practi-ed in every
department. The labor on the farm,
therefore, Is the heaviest of all ex-
penses, and II is the principal stand
point from which all profits must be
estimated. But labor alone cannot
make crop. The soil must be fitted to
derive the largest possible product by
the proper use of plant food which per-
mlts of the application of labor to the
best advantage. Small farms can be
made to largely increase their yields
more easily and rapidly than large
areas, because the manure or fertilizer
can be concentrated instead Of spread
over a wide surface at an increased
cost of labor for men and teams; hence,
proportionately, as the yields increase
the expense decreases. Expenses are
because in many instances it requires
but little more labor to secure a large
yield than small one, and expenses
are also lessened when fertilizers are
used to increase the yield because the
cost of the fertilizers will be more than
regained, as well as assist in securing
greater results from the labor. The
best mode of reducing expenses is to
cultivate no more land than can be kept
up to Its highest limit of fertility so rs
TO secure the largest yields possible
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