The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-12-01
FIVE PROFIT CROPS.

Prof, w. c. Palmer of the extension
department of the A. c. writes;
Corn, alfalfa and clover are five
profit" crops. In other words: "They
will give five profits when wheat gives
one. And wheat cannot give that one
unless helped out by corn, alfalfa or
clover.
The Ave profits are: 1. The crop.
2. Preparation of the land for crop,
Of grain and the assurance of crop
of grain. 3. The milk, butter, beef,
eggs, pork or horse power that these
crops can be manufactured into. 4.
The manure. Distributing, the in
come and work, t
1. The crop of corn, alfalfa or clo-
yer will bring as much profit as the
crop of grain. They are much more
sure Of making a crop. This makes
them more profitable than the grain
crops.
2. Preparation OF the land. These
crops prepare the land for a crop of
grain. The cultivation given the corn
saves moisture, kills weeds and plant
diseases, leaving the land in condition
to double the profit from the grain
crop. 1t takes twelve to thirteen bush
els of wheat to pay for raising the
crop. When a twelve bushel crop
just pays for its raising, fourteen
bushel crop leaves two bushels for
profit. A sixteen bushel crop leaves
four bushels for profit or twice as
much as the fourteen busheI crop, An
eighteen busheI crop win leave three
times as much profit and so on. That
is not all preparation will do. 1t also
goes long way toward insuring a
crop of grain in case the season should
be unfavorable. Alfalfa and clover
Eenrich the soil in hunus and nitrogen,
fittings soil must have to be fertile.
They also kill weeds and plant dis
| eases. Corn, alfalfa and clover do the
| greatest good when they are grown
in rotation with the grain crops. The
corn will help the alfalfa, clover and
grain and these in turn will help the
corn and grain.
3. Milk, butter, eggs, beef, pork OF
horse power. Whichever of these the
lIcorn, alfalfa or clover is manufactured
into, profit results. and usually q
good one--a profit that is the most
independent Of the seasons and OF any
other industry on the farm. The la
| Dor required in this manufactures
process is usually work that would not
otherwise be utilized during the great
| er part of the year. Most business
cannot succeed IL it's plant is lying
idle most of the year with labor unem-
ployed. The grain farmer has his
equipment and labor idle more than
half the year. This could be employed
In manufacturing as above outlined
ina most profitable way. 4
L 4. Manure. When corn. clover and
other food products are fed to stock
they return four fifths OF its plant
food in the manure. This has a money
value that il greater than the proft
from the average crop OF wheat. The
time spent In handling manure will
return more profit than that spent In
growing wheat without manure or ro-
tation.
Distributes income and work. This
means that there Is money coming in
at all times OF the year. This makes
1t possible to buy for cash instead OF
being trusted till threshing time. which
some years does not come. Buying
for cash insures lower prices than buy
ing on time. It also makes for econ
omy It is easier to get things when
having them charged than when pay
ing cash. When on the book the
farmer Is under OBLIGATIONS to the mer-
chant: he II no longer the it1depend-
| emit farmer. The cprn. alfalfa and
clover distributed the work over d
longer season making II possible to
secure sdf7eapef and more efgsefent