The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1905-09-14
ONE CROP PLAN UNSAFE.


S n
PROGRESSIVE farmers. ever alert oos
the newest and best, have discussed
both sides of the question Of dtversili-
cation versus Specialization. Each con-
clusion is doubtless based upon individ-
ual needs and capabilities. The spirit of
the age-working through the law Of
the division Of labor-points to the ad-
vantages accruing to him who does one
thing and does that we'll" Continuity
of concentration counts. The man who
finds his proper sphere, and sticks to it,
succeeds. The man with two many
irons in the fire often burns his fingers.
On the other hand, nature seems to
protest at over-production of any one
of her species. Too many hens, for ex-
ample, do not thrive together. Elk
elusive crops are followed by diseases
and disaster. Nature strives always
to preserve a balance and-as in in
ternational life-permits no husky
member of the family too much
power.
The eastern former divides his do
main into ten-acre fields. He uses
much chemical fertilizer. He practices
rotation persistently and intelligently.
He raises every year his small crop
Of clover, corn. wheat, barley and
timothy (this being about the order of
succession from year to year,. He has
few pigs, a small flock of pou;-
try, two or three cows, a truck patch,
an orchard and a wood lot. He usual
ly makes living-comfortabl or not
as his temperament demands, but he
seldom makes more.
The westerner aims also to make his
homestead self-supporting and buys
nothing he can profitably raise, but he
ger orally selects some one feature, as
wheat, corn, beef cattle, hogs, fine
horses, or dairy COWS, which he works
for all he's worth. On his big money
crop he concentrates his energies.
Many Kansas and Iowa farmers are get
ting rich. This is fact, whatever the
causes.
The southerner grows one-half bale
Of ten-cent cotton to the acre and buys
western corn for man and mule and
loses money. A bale to the acre costs
about six cents pound, but two bales
can be grown on an acre and afford a
profit at five cents. Let the southern
farmer on 20 acres raise five acres OF
COW peas and five acres of corn, when his
cotton does not require his attention
and on the remaining ten acres he can
raise eight bales and he need buy NO
fertilizers. He would make money.
The average cotton planter derives NO
benefit from his salubrious climate and
his mules eat their heads OF from July
to December.
The lesson of all these illustrations
is to specialize along lines of rational
diversity.
The westerner has learned it; the
eastern and southern agricultural prob
lens must be solved along this direc-
ton.
For example, one man has a cucum-
Der farm under glass and ships thou
sands of cucumbers to New York and
Boston at $3.50 to $3.50 dozen. He
makes money in his speciality. Near
Hastings more than $500 acres of Irish
potatoes have been planted. A northern
doctor who came to Florida for his
health has pineapple farm of more
than an acre under a slate roof-no
glass-and uses speckled sunshine or
wood fires at will. One gardener sold
from one acre last winter 20, 900 heads of
lettuce-12 inches across and solid "A
cabbages-for from three to five cents
a head. Another specialist lost 20 acres
of sugar cane by the January, 1905, cold
wave.
Every tale has moral, writes H. A.
BERGMAN. in Farmers Voice., and that of
the practice of varied agriculture is.
put not all thine eggs in one basket
which is as good now as in Ben Frank
Inns day, because too many eggs in
one basket means havoc for some of
them.
The motto of the specialist who can
control his conditions is "Put all
thine eggs in one basket and watch
that basket"