The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-12

have been so often repeated that mere
reference 20 some of the more important
of them will be sufficient here one OF
these is expressed in the ola proNefp,
which tells how unwise II Is 70 put al
ones eggs into the same basket; another
Is found ia the fact that the staple proo-
ucts for which section Of country Is
rarticularlv adapted are always over done
end prices are as a rule, low and unre-
munerative, with, of course, occasional
exceptional periods, which, however, are
not of much advantage to the producer
for the reason that they largely depehh
upon a more or less complete crop iail-
ure In the corn belt corn Is an example
of a staple universally grown at a very
low profit 20 the farmer who produces
il. In the South the cotton crop furnishes
another example and in the Northwest
wheat supplies still another. DlVerslnca-
ton relieves the pressure which giut al
ways produces, and 70 that extent IL Is an
advantage to the staple crop. DlYersnca-
ton also furnishes employment all the
year round 10 a greater extent than does
a practically exclusive devotion 70 SIN
gle line of farming. There are other
reasons for diversification, but our pres
ent purpose is only to hint at its advan-
tages and not to exhaust them.
We are aware that there are those who
take the opposite view and urge that
this is the only day of specialists and that
the farmer must learn to excel in some
one thing to which he and his soil and
surroundings are particularly fitted. In
their arguments they usually, however,
over-state the side of diversiication, by
representing it to mean the raising of al
kinds Of crops and all kinds of stock on
one farm. We have nothing to urge
against the position of the specialist VINO
has found some particular line in which,
by reason of his tastes and surroundings
he has been able to excel, and with which
he succeeds in farming profitably. Nor
would we say anything TO deter the man
who believes he has found such line
and who proposes to try it. The diversiti-
cation for which we plead is that leading
away from exclusive devotion to the sta
pie crop or crops particularly adapted to
the section that are almost invariably
oVerdone. The specialist who has found
a profitable line of work has rarely or
never discovered it in. staple crops. He
has taken advantage of some circum~
stances attending his situation and has
learned TO excel in some particular line
not generally pursued over any large area
of country. Any farmer who can profit
by his example will do well to do So
but for the general farmer who is now de-
voting his land, time and labor to the
production of low priced staples, diversity
presents many advantages, and to it there
are few objections. 1t is not meant by
this that the farmer should take a seed
catalogue and attempt to grow everything
he finds in it, but there are few sections
of country to which a very considera BILE
diversity is not possible, and from those
crops that thrive well in his vicinity the
general farmer will do well to select a
considerable number in the light of his
opportunities for finding a market for
them and of his necessity for continuous
employment, if he intends to make farm
ing pay. Nobody can hope to prosper by
working like a Turk for a little bit of the
year, and having no paying industry for
the remainder of the twelve months.