American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1914-03-12

StdiH. III OltiHtChECC y FlahilHHe
where water can run under it from the
surrounding ground.
How to Figure Costs In Feeding Live
Stock.
The grain and other feeds grown on
the farm where they are fed should be
charged to stock at the market value
at the farm, which is the price at the
elevator, minus the cost of hauling.
This is the result OF seven years ex
perience in studying farm cost &C
counting problems in the section of
farm economics of the department of
agriculture.
The object of cost accounting is to
show an analysis of the entire farm
business; and the relative profitable
ness of each enterprise, as well as the
relative costs, should be made clear.
If the farmer is to learn the truth
about the cost of his corn. oats, hay
and other feedable products, he must
do considerable figuring and have a
good understanding of farm cost ac-
counting methods. On the other hand,
the market values of grains n other
feedable products serve as a common
standard from which any farmer may
easily figure the cost of feeding them
to live stock. The market price at
the farm is the only logical, as well as
the easiest, method to follow. If live
stock are essential for profitable farm
ing in so many sections, why should
the live stock enthusiasts figure to
eliminate the profits of crop growing,
so that the live stock may appear
more profitable?
Weed Growth and Corn Yields.
OF the various factors that influence
corr yields there are some that re-
ceive more than their share of atten-
ton, and some to which sufficient en-
phasis has not been given. Important
as is the type of soil, the weather, fer
tilizer treatment, variety, condition Of
the seed. insect and fungus troubles,
preparation OF the seed bed, and sub
sequent tillage, It would seem that
under conditions anywhere neal nor
NAL there are two other factors that
exert a great deal more influence on
yields than any of those named above.
These are the organic matter content
of the soil and the amount of weed
growth.
The significance of these two fac
tors cannot be emphasized too strong
ly. AS illustrative of the Importance
of organic matter may be cited the
practices of a Georgia farmer. This
farmer has a two-year rotation Of cot
ton and corn, rs acres of each every
year. For each crop a stand of bur
l clover is turned under. A strip be
! tween the cotton rows is left unbro-
ken until the bur clover seed natures.
! The corn crop Is planted without
blowing. The rows are run out with a
middle buster, the seed dropped by
hand, and covered with a double
shovel. About three weeks later,
, when the bur clover has entirey Gov
cred the corn row, the first cultivation
is given by blowing under the clover
with a turning plow. The next cult
/, walton is with a five-shovel surface cul-
tivator. Just before the third and
last cultivation the land is broadcast.
; ed to cowpeas and sorghum for hay.
The land is never plowed, or cult
waited to a greater depth than three
inches. Crude as these tillage prac-
tees may seem, they accomplish the
two-fold purpose of turning under
large amounts of organic matter and
keeping down weed growth. Under
this system the yield of cotton has
4 been increased from one-third of a
. bale per acre to one and one and q
e half bales, and the yield of corr has
e beer built up in like proportion.
The second great factor-weec
growth-hardly needs any discussion
e Nearly everybody has seen thousands
i of acres of high weeds and low crops
y 1t was at one time preached by our
e best known ag~riculturists that weeds
r were a good thing because they
spurred the lazy ~husbandman on &c
greater activity in his tillage opera
n tions; in other words tillage was the
desired end. the eradication of weed;
d being merely incidental. In Il recent
n work on corn cultivation it has beer
y clearly shown that in the main weed:
s are the arch enemy that makes inter
e cultural tillage necessary.