The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1914-04-29
DIVERSITY SECRET
OF FARM SUCCESS
Don't Put All Your Eggs In
One Basket" Says Expert
COWS As MONEY MAKERS,

W. uUNUU3 UvUOSVVAvyO0
But They Should Not BE the Mainstay
Of q Small Aereaee-Dairy Business
10 Not Gst.rich.quiek Proposition-A
Word Of Warning to Would 30 Fruit
Raissrs.
Jared Van Wagenen, state lecturer
Of the New York State Farmers insti-
tutes, in a recent lecture to farmers
and would be farmers in Schermer-
horn hall, Columbia university. said
that they could make a good living by
keeping cows, but that dairy farming
was no get-rich-Quick scheme at best.
His advice to the man with fifty
acres was not to specialize in cows or
fruit or garden truck, but to take a
try at many different things.
"The UNMARRIED story Of agriculture"
he said, lis this: That under former
conditions men turned toward the pro-
duction of cash crops. usually grain,
because fertility was abundant, be-
cause the capital required was much
less than in animal husbandry and
because the cash item came in prompt
~. Sooner or later diminished soil
fertility necessitated the keeping of
animals In order that manure be made.
Still later came the time when the
greater possibilities Of profit from the
growing Of fruit, high grade market
crops and dairy products displaced the
fat steer and the wool bearing sheep.
"Men who are looking toward the
land today on the whole must expect
to grow fruit or vegetables or to mar
ket milk and cream. The type of farm
ing the city man chooses depends upon
the location Of his markets and his
bent Of mind.
Beware Of Lean Years.
1T will probably be to his interest to
diversity his work to a considerable ex-
tent. Putting all your eggs in one bas-
ket In farming as well as in other
things is likely to be bad policy. There
are bound to be lean years. The ex-
cessive fruit farmer may find himself
all but without income as the result
Of a single frosty night when his trees
are in bloom. Fruit may be so abun-
dant as to sell at prices that hardly
pay for picking and packages, a condi-
ton just as disastrous as unreasonable
frosts that result in no fruit. On the
other hand. If the dairy farmer can
have some truck crops it frequently
will make a most welcome addition to
his income and in many cases it will
be grown at very slight additional cost
He may find it possible to grow q crop
of potatoes or stra wberries between
milkings.
DAIRY farming has the disadvantage
of requiring large preliminary outlay
for equipment and land. 1t also re
quires expert attention and %unceasing
care throughout the year. Its advan-
tages are that it maintains soil fertil-
1ty excellently, and while the profits
are never large the business possesses
elements of dependability and compar-
alive freedom from unforeseen disas-
tiers.
Ten Cows Do Not Pay.
There are no wonder tales of fancy
profits to be told about COW keeping.
Success will come only when accom-
panied by patient, hard work, coupled
with real knowledge and ability.
There Is no place for the fifty acre
farm with cows as the main interest.
The man with small acreage must look
toward the fruits and the truck gar
den. 1t may be possible to make a
good living from thirty cows, but GER
tainly not from ten.
ITO buy u farm big enough and
equip it for a dairy Of thirty cows in
wolves a really big expenditure, as
country expenditures 60. There ought
to be not less than 1875 to $50 acres of
land of good q%uality-not merely rocky
hillsides-on which are ample modern
dairy barns. Cows good enough to be
profitable cost 500 each, If in good
condition and fresh in milk. One-third
Of the total receipts probably will be
spent for grain feed. To grow the
feed and care for thirty cows will re-
quire the labor Of three men. The de-
probation of the cows is very serious
not less than Is per cent.
1T requires no expert accountant to
show that COW keeping is not a get
rich-quick proposition, yet all owe the
state men are bringing up their fami-
lies and slowly paying of mortgages
by milking cows and delivering the
milk in forty quart milk cam at the
railroad siding each morning Of the
year."
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