Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-10-20
PROFITS TO IOWA FARMS.
Government Experts Plan Rotation
of Crops and Increasing Profits
to Farmers.

that Secretary Wilson's experts on
agriculture have undertaken and it
promises to be of great benefit, to the
farmers of Iowa and the middle
west, where the rapidly increasing
value of land is making the present
plan of farming Improbable. By
changing his crops or by taking up
sheep, hog or dairy farming, the
Iowa farmer may double or treble
his annual income. according to ex-
periments that have been conducted
by the farm management Office of the
department of agriculture in the re-
planning of farms for profit.
AS an illustration of their farm
replanning methods, the government
experts on farm management took
an SO-acre farm in central Illinois
which is a typical example also of
many Iowa farms. This Illinois farm
is located on black prairie corn land
valued at $50 to $175 an acre
and would rent for $5 an acre cash.
1t had been cropped with corn and
oats for many years, until the aver
age yields were about S5 bushels of
corn or 20 bushels of oats. Last
year the actual yields of this Illinois
farm were "a bushels of corn and
L. Of Tho in
come of the entire farm. according
ly, was less than $3.50. Valuing the
farm at $4,000, the interest alone
on this investment at 5 per cent is
$500: which clearly shows that the
farm was being run at loss.
In a bulletin on the subject of re-
planning farms for profit. the gov
ernment experts on farm manage
ment discuss in detail six plans
which they proposed for increasing
the. poduction of this Improbable
Illinois farm. A grain and hay
farm with a three-year rotation of
corn. oats and hay; 2, a grain and
clover-seed farm with a three-year
rotation of corn, oats and clover for
seed; 3, a grain and clover farm
with four-year rotation of corn.
oats and clover; 4. sheep farm :;
5, a hog farm; 6, a dairy farm.
The probable income from each of
the different types of farming pro-
posed for the so acres in Illinois,
after deducting the cost of fertilizers
or feeding stuffs, is estimated as
follows:
Farm as now managed ....$ 450I
Grain and hay farm. 3-year ro-
tdIioH
Grain and clover-seed farm 1877
Grain and hay farm, 4-year
IoldlioH 49, i'-oV
Sheep farm, pasture system S62|
Sheep farm, small fiOcks -. 1,045l
Sheep farm, lamb feeding :. 2,O65
Hog and clover-seed farm :. 1,340I
Dairy farm, butter 25 cents 1,094I
Dairy farm, milk 4 cents
quart ...... ...... LIZA
Dairy farm, milk cents
In estimating the gross income of
the dairy farms deduction is made
for the cost of extra labor. which
is figured at about $3.50 a year.
The other farms are figured on the
one-man basis.
Discussing these various plans for
farms, the government bulletin
says:
Generally speaking, grain farm
ing with a rotation of crops and the
intelligent use of fertilizers is about
as profitable type of farming as
any of the ordinary forms of stock
raising The following facts. how
ever, should be considered in this
connection. The fertilizer bills in
thc siam tihu nay types vi idi hihiS
must be indefinitely continued. and
as the years go by will probably
have to be revised. Quite certainly
lime will be needed in addition to
the phosphates applied if the yields
assumed are maintained. On the
other hand, in the livestock types of
farming, particularly dairy farming.
the fertilizer bills will grow less In
stead of increasing. while at the
same time the land will be growing
more productive. and instead Of
average yields of 60 bushels of corn
and 2 tons of hay per acre, consider.
ably larger yields than these may be
confidently expected.
"Many farmer fails to get ade-
quate returns from his farm because
he stays at home too closely. puts in
too many hours a day following the
plow. and does not often visit good
farmers in his neighborhood or other
sections of the country where good
farming is done. Success in farming
calls for the very best effort in a