The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1911-10-12
FOR PROFIT IN FARMING
CAREFUL METHODS GIVE IN
CREASED YIELDS.
College Management increases Farm
Profits--Practcal Farm Manage
ment Taught to Farmers.

Carefully selected seed corn, tested
for termination and planted in thor
oughiy prepared seed bed made crops
even better this year than in an oTdi'
nary one, in three OF the central coun'
ties OF Missouri 1t happened that
the farms ON which this result was
obtained were in the part of the state
which suffered most from the drouth,
In these places It il stated that the
crops on the particular farms are the
best that have been harvested In from
three TO eleven years. one farmer III
Boone county started in three years
ago. His farm was in such poor con
dltion that some of the first crops
were not worth harvesting. This year
his corn Is averaging a little more
than 40 bushels to the acre, and his
wheat, OF which there were 40 acres,
averaged % bushels. Almost all OF
his wheat has been sold at Sl50 a
bushel for seed, Furthermore, he has
now In the corn an underground OF
rape and cowpeas which will fatton
lambs and make from Sc to $40 clear
profit extra from each acre.
These things did not Just happen,
but came about as "A result of an ear
nest attempt by the Farm Manage
ment Department Of the University
OF Missouri to improve farm business
coalitions Farmers who were haN.
M troubles applied to the depart
mcut for suggestions and help ~
planning their crops Prot. ID. IL
Doauc who Is at the head of the dc.
purtment, has been actively in tins
work for a number OF years. and has
tried out the things which are taught
in the College Of Agriculture.
zone Of our coopyrators,' said Mr.
Doanc, came to me a year ago Tor
advice. He had gone in debt for
farm Of 500 acres, and had been larm
ing II for two years. When he start.
ed he was so poor that he had to bon.
row - cents to subscribe for a paper
We have not had time. in one season.
20 apply the use OF crop rotations ana
Systematic soil Improvement, and he
has not had the capital for heavy in
ycstment in better equipment.
However, We obtained good seed
The corn was tested. The wheat was
treated for smut The sced.bed was
worked into much better condition
than he had been accustomed to.
The result is. that this year with
very little extra expense but Il good
deal more care, the farm has pad
more than 1t did both the preceding
years
| Similar cases are in many places
over the state whore the Farm Man
agement Department has pointed out
| the way. One man at Moberly had
| failed for three successive years.
| Professor Doano directed the use Of
better seed, more working of the ST.
aud various notifications of the sys-
TEN. This year, after two years OF
management by college directions, the
.arm is beginning to pay debts.
A striking instance of the effect Of
| good management was shown IN Jas
| per county. The place was in a cold
| gray soil and had been known for
twenty years as an unproductiye
farm. The directions called for drain
ing by means of dead burrows. The
| soil must not be worked or tamped
| when wet. And il was found neces.
| sary to apply some lime TO remove
| sourness. The result is that this year
| "A
| the first worth having in twenty years
and there is on the place about the
| only stand of spring.sown clover in
| the state.
Not a single one of the farmers
we are assisting" said Professor
| Doane, has sacrificed a single head
OF stock on account of lack of feed
| this season. On the other hand, they
have bought stock at less than half
| rrice." The system advised by the
College is such that even in dry
year, as this has been. there viii be
an abundance Of good feeds.
Land should not lie idle any longer
tnun Is absolutely necessary, is the
new teaching, and many so'Called
catch crops" can be obtained when
the land would otherwise grow up to
weeds. For exemple. as soon as oats
are of the ground can be diskcd and
sown to cowpeas. These will give a
large crop of excellent feed. will i'm
prove the soil, and will keep the
weeds off. When corn land would be
doing nothing over winter II can be
seeded to rye and good pasturage OBJ
tanned between crops. Cowpeas and
rape sown in corn at the last cultiva'
ton will make So to SO pront which
would be entirely overlooked
Problems of fertilizers are now
creating great interest. The Farm
Management Department, by studying