Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1914-04-09
CROP ROTATION
SUCCESS SECRET
Diversity Makes Majority of
Farms Pay Well.
IMPORTANCE POINTED OUT.
Agricultural Expert Warns Against
Specializing and Makes Known His
Reasons-Every Farmer Should Grow
Everything That Is Needed on His
Place and Not Buy Supplies.

Place and Not Buy Supplies.
New Y0rk.-IIOw shall a man make
farming pay. how make it return be-
sides interest on investment Il reason.
able country salary Of $1,000, how
manage it 50 as to use ones time,
energy and capital to best advantage?
These were some of the considerations
in lecture by John H. Barron of the
state department of agriculture.
"Wide studies show that usually the
most profitable farms follow Il diversi-
fed type Of agriculture" he said. In
the state Of New York forty-nine
! farms have been studied on which
labor incomes Of $500 or more are
! being made. That is, on these farms
enough is made to pay all expenses
and interest on the investment at 5
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-
versilied farming is likely to be more
profitable than specialized farming.
"Spccializcd farming has some ad-
vantagcs. 1t may allow the develop
mcnt Of considerable skill in the pro-
duction of one or two things A 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
"Diversilicd farming has many adj
vantagcS which outweigh the advan-
| tageS OF specialized farming, for the
majority of farmers find it is better to
have several important products as
sources of income rather than one prod
| uct. DivcrSitcation allows of a rota-
ton of crops which is all but absolute
ly necessary for the permanence of any
agricultural scheme; it usually fore
stalls total failure for in no season is
it likely that all crops will be poor; it
| distributes the income over the year:
| 1t stands for economy and efficiency
! and provides work for man, machinery
and horses a 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 first 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. 1t follows, then, that good
rotation will meet at least three gen
eral requirements: First it must main
tain and increase fertility; second, it
will produce feeds which will nouriSh
animals as economically as possible;
third, it will furnish cash crops for
| sale
ITO feed animals as economically as
possible Il good quality of roughage
must be produced. For this purpose
some succulence is desirable and also
the products of leguminous plants. like
clover. alfalfa, peas and soy beans.
|
state good rotation is corn. oats, clio
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 first given. because it pro
vdeS for two cash crops instead of one,
but 1t cannot be developed too far, be
cause corn and potatoes are competi-
tive crops as to time of planting. cult
waiting and to an extent in harvesting
in the planning of crop schemes it Is
necessary to keep good work balance.
or there may be a poor distribution of
work. too much ut one time and not
enough at another. Noncompctitive en-
tcrpriSes should he chosen and at the
same time enterprises which have some
intcrdepcndCucc and relation to each
other \ good scheme of farming will
generally have several sources of in
come. In Il word. it may he said to
consist of we'll chosen line Of spe-