The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-04-10

Specializing and Makes Known HIS
Reasops-EVery Farmer Should Grow
Everything That Is Needed on His
Place and Not Buy Supplies.
New YORK How shall man make
farming pay, how make it return be
sides interest on investment reason
able country salary of $1,000. how
manage it SO as TO use ones time,
energy and capital to best advantage?
These were some of the considerations
in lecture by John II. Barron of the
state department of agriculture.
wide studies show that usually the
most profitable farms follow diversi-
fed type of agriculture ne said. In
the state Of New York forty-ninc
farms have been studied on which
labor incomes " $500 or more are
being made That is, on these farms
enough is made 20 pay all expenses
and interest Oh the investment at s
per cent and leave the farmer a salary
of $500 or more These farms sell
from one to six major items, amount
Ing to $500 or more each and in addi-
ton several minor products. The figures
show that on the average there were
three major and four minor sale pro-
ducts and besides usually some feed
for farm animals. Generally then di-
yersified farming is likely TO be more
profitable than specialized farming.
Specialized farming has some ad-
vantages II may allow the develop
ment of considerable skill in the pro
| duction Of one or two things. small
amount Of capital may be sufficient to
develop one enterprise quite efficiently,
whereas it would not develop several.
In specialized farming large fields can
be laid out and buildings so planned
as to facilitate labor greatly.
Diversified farming has many ad-
Vantages which outweigh the advan-
tages of specialized farming, for the
majority of farmers end it is better to
have several important products as
sources OF income rather than one prod
/ uct. DiversiicutiOn allows of rota-
ton of crops which is all but absolute
! 1y necessary for tue permanence of any
agricultural scheme; 1t usually fore
stalls total failure for in no season is
| 1t likely that all crops will be poor; II
distributes the income over the year:
1t stands for economy and efficiency
and provides work for man. machinery
and horses greater portion of the
year than does most specialized farm
ing.
I'm the establishment Of plan for
diversified farming the rotation of
crops must Hyst be given attention
Most farming will get its profits from
animal products and crops. The main
tenance of soil fertility is Of para
mount Importance, for without it any
farm scheme is ultimately doomed to
failure. II follows, then, that good
rotation will meet at least three gen
eral requirements First, it must main
tain and increase fertility; second, 1t
will produce feeds which will nourlsh
animals as economically as possible;
third, II win furnish cash crops for
sale.
ITO feed animals as economically as
possible good quality of roughage
must be produced. For this purpose
some succuleDce is desirable and also
the products Of leguminous plants. like
clover. alfalfa peas and soy beans.
''In much Of the dairy section of the
state q good rotation is corn. oats, clO-
yer, timothy. The corn. oats and clover
are fed on the farm and the timothy
sold. Where the farm is not heavily
stocked part of the area otherwise de-
voted to corn can be used for potatoes
and then oats and hay follow the pOta-
toes or corn in the regular fashion.
This combination is usually better
than the one 6rst given, because it-pro-
vldes for two cash crops instead of one.
but II cannot be developed too far, be-
cause corn and potatoes are competi-
tive crops as to time of planting, culti-
waiting and to an extent in harvesting
"In the planning of crop schemes 1t is
necessary to keep good work balance,
or there may be poor distribution OF
work. too much at one time and not
enough at another. Noncompetitive en-
terprises should be chosen and at the
same time enterprises which have some
interdependence and relation to each
other, good scheme of farming will
generally have several sources OF in
come In a word. II may be said to
consist OF well chosen line Of spe-
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