The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-09-15
J. arm 07i0
Garden
REPLANNlNG A FARM.
Points That Must Be Borne In Mind
When Change Is Sought.


In "Replanning a Farm For Profit"
the title of farmers bulletin No. $40.
issued by the United States depart
ment of agriculture, the matter of
changing the type of agriculture on a
farm when the old is found to be no
longer profitable is treated. The bulle-
tin says:
Habit frequently continues a type of
farming in a community long after
that type has become improbable.
Wheat farming on fertile virgin soil is
usually profitable, but there are many
instances in the United States where
farmers have continued to grow wheat
for number of years after it had
ceased to be profitable crop. The
same is true of cotton. A two year ro-
tation of corn and oats has been con-
tinued in portions of the corn belt not
withstanding the fact that it is often
Improbable. little or no money being
made on either crop. Frequently these
Improbable types of farming continue
through series of years or until the
property changes hands or new meth
DDS are introduced. The farmer finds
1t hard to change a lifelong habit.
A man who has grown up with the
believe that the type of farming he
has followed and which was at one
time profitable has at last become I'M
suited to his conditions. 1t is no small
task to think out and change his long
used type to some better kind Of farm
ing. There are several reasons why
such a change is difficult. 1t may
mean new line of equipment. Build
ings may need modification or fences
must be rearranged. 1t may mean the
introduction of commercial fertilizers
or of more or different live stock on
the farm. 1t may mean that money
will have to be borrowed If the pro-
posed changes are effected. Further
more, the change may not succeed. At
USoC IAS ldhlHS ny VI dCW AAO u
farming requires REIMBURSEMENT of the
usual ways Of thinking and doing, a
thing difficult in itself and requiring
considerable time to accomplish.
Notwithstanding habit may set the
farmer in his ways, altered conditions
and lessened yield and income may
compel him to change his system or
go out of business. To what shall he
change? How shall he go about It?
What type of farming is likely to
prove more profitable than the kind he
is now following? What additional
capital is necessary to institute a new
and better system? These are the
questions that confront him. They are
difficult to answer. With pencil and
paper in hand he may estimate the re-
turns that may reasonably be expected
by introducing more crops that build
up the land, by growing more of the
crop that is bringing him in the great
est amount of money, by giving more
attention to the live stock that has
been found to pay best and the like.
If in these calculations he meets
with difficulty because of a lack of
definite information as to what may be
reasonably expected when improved
methods are applied in the culture of
a crop or in the handling Of stock he
may write to the agricultural college
or the board of agriculture or the agri-
cultural experiment station of his own
state or to the United States depart
ment of agriculture for help. 1t is
the business of these institutions to
discover and gather facts relative to
the science. practice and business OF
agriculture for the benefit of the farm
er and particularly for the farmer who
wants to improve his methods Of farm
ing. The agricultural press also I'M
dertakes to aid the farmer in the So
luton of problems of this character.
In addition to these sources. few
private firms have been established
whose business it is to furnish expert
advice on farm management for con-
sideration.
Not always, however, are the institu-
tons just mentioned prepared to give
the farmer information on plan COW
ering his whole farm. The expert
dairyman cares to give advice only on
dairying. the entomologist only on in
sects and spraying, the agronom1st
only on field crops. the patholog1st
only on plant diseases, the shepherd
only on sheep. Not many care to at
tempt to coordinate all the manifold
interests of the farm into a single
comprehensive farm plan, and yet this
is exactly what the farmer must do
every day of his life if he would get
the most out of his farm and make
farming pay.
The farmer is not simply corn
farmer or a wheat grower or a cattle
breeder or sheep breeder or a poul-
try raiser. but often all of these and
more combined. His farm, therefore,
must be planned with reference to all
of these operations and the harmon1-
GUS dovetailing together of the Differ
ent parts. In replanning his farm for
profit the farmer must see all these
different problems in a comprehensive
way at the outset, omit the features
that do not pay and strengthen those
that do.
Fortunately many of our agricultural
colleges today are co-ordinat1ng the
work of their different departments
and giving courses in farm manage
ment, and usually suggestions can be
obtained from these sources relative
10 the general management OF the