Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-07-18
Too Much of a Mixture.

Too Much of a Mixture.
About once every month some one
warns farmers against carrying all thei
eggs in one basket. This may sounC
like good advice to the man who ha'
tried some speciality and madea failure
Of it, but my experience leads me to be
lieve that farmers who are conducting
large farms should not carry too many
baskets. Many farmers make failure
through trying TO conduct too many
lines of farming. General or mixed
farming is the best and safest road te
success; but we must use Intelligent
methods in mixing our branches of farm
ing and seek to harmoniZe them all
We must select only those branches
which we find adapted to our farms AND
which fit nicely into our general plan OF
farm management, and eliminate every
possible waste. Farmers in every sec
ton are trying TO do too many things
IL is a very energetic and ambitious man
who can, with limited capital, make a
success of more than one or two branches
of farming to which he gives his study
and best service. OF course he may fol-
low other lines of work, but these
should, to a certain extent, be subser'
Went TO his one or two chosen special
ties.
The most successful farmers are those
who plan their cropping system so that
no two crops require their undivided
attention at the same time. Right here
many of the mixed farmers fail. Their
crops are sighted; the potatoes need
attention at the same time the corn is
right to cultivate, and their berries need
to be marketed at the same time the
corn and potatoes are suffering for want
of care. As result, they lose heavily
on each crop, and in the fall come out
about even. With our crops planned
the best we know how, we often find
that we have our work punched so that
we must put in long days to keep ahead
of the season.
The man who tries to be n fruit grow
or, truck farmer, dairyman, swine breed
ar and sheep raiser is carrying TOO
many baskets, and at best cannot hope
to succeed in more than one or two OF
these lines. The losses from the Others
usually eat up the profits from those
that prove success. Ii is not my pur-
pose 10 lay out any particular system
of stock feeding or breeding, or any ro-
tation of crops that will meet the con-
ditious of all farmers who diversity
their operations. All farmers would
not succeed with dairy cows, nor are all
of us competent TO handle beef cattle;
but do believe that We should make
speciality of some one or two branches
of stock husbandry in order that we may
feed out our roughsge and grain crops
or the farm and have the resulting ma
nure for fertilizer to apply to our land.
Dairying, feeding and growing beef
cattle, swine growing and sheep hus-
bandry are all adapted to our climate
and make profitable specialties on the
diversified farm; if properly conducted,
they will yield good returns. They
combine all the strong points OF special
lied farming and of diversified farming;
vet they have none of the weak points OF
either. Ths stock grower can special
izs on his one line of breeding and feed
ing, and at the same time he can diversi-
fy his crops, follow a rational rotation
that will improve his soil aud furnish
the best of food for his animals. The
livestock grower and feeder who has
saved all his manure Is not compelled to
paw out a large amount of money for
chemical plant-foods and commercial
fertilizers every spring to stimulate his
soil To produce profitable crops. lie
can grow and feed those crops that en-
rich his soil instead of exhsusting Its
fertility. Alfalfa, clover, aud other
legumes that will leave the soil rich In
nitrogen, bring up large quantities oil
plant-food from below and leave 1t In
form available for the cereal crops that
follow in the rotation, are all adapted &c
the rations of farm stock, and the soil
will soon he in such condition thai
none of these crops will be a serious
failure at any one time.
The man who makes success OF gen
eral or mixed farming should have an
Intelligent rotation of crops, one that is
adapted to his farm and that guards
against exhaustion of the necessary ele
ments of plant food and that seeks tt
supply the elements in which the SOIL is
deficient. Cora, wheat and clover form
short rotation that is exceedingly wei
suited to the stock farm. On the Other
hand, the farmer who follows mixed ol
general farming may specialize on some
cash or market crop, such as potatoes
and make his other branches subservlen
10 that; but at the same time make plenty
of manure and keep up rational system
of crop rotation that will assist in main
tanning the fertility of his soil for th'
growing of this one crop.
Another important matter Is the Sc
lection of crops that can be grown and
handled without needless expense fol
high. grade machinery. Ordinarily, be
lieve in keeping up TO date in the mat
ter of labor-saving machinery, but th'
mixed farmer is apt to think that be
cause be grows a certain crop ne mus
have all of the special machinery that
man who is making a speciality OF tha
crop would fiud necessary to economical
production. He does not stop to con
slider that the machine is idle most o
the time aud that it is more OF a iuxur!
than necessity.
Small-fruit growing and truck farm
ing does not mix we'll with general farm
ing; but al apple orchard is profitaoi
appendage to any diversified farm. Th'
larger portion Of other farm work L
about completed in the fall before tn
winter fruit is ready to harvest and
| few days during the spraying season, II
the early spring, is the only time tn
| orchard work seriously clashes will
| other activities of the farm. AL
whether specialists or mixed farmers
should grow some fruit and keep Icy
hens, no matter what kind of farming !
IL w MILAN Kallu Il