American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-09-02

may receive a very mesger return for each 800
worth of crops fed.
BY the records a farmer might find that his
business was not large enough for maximum pro-
fits; that his yields were behind those OF
the best or even the average; or that he was SELL
Ing too large a percentage Of his crops and was
not heavily enough stocked to insure profits. The
accompanying table compares Joseph Himelick's
results In al, the factors that determined profits
on the farms of his township.
Sells Stock, Few Crops.
In comparing the livestock population on farms
It is necessary to reduce all classes to a common
unit. One animal unit is one COW, one bull, one
steer, two young cattle. one horse. two colts, seven
sheep, fourteen lambs, five hogs, ten pigs, or one
hundred fowls.
Himelick's 263 acres made his size of business
ore than two and o half times that OF the aver
age with 100 acres. He had nearly 200 acres Of
his land IN crops. while the average was 10 crop
acres, and this brought home to the farmers
the fact that on land valued at $125 to $175 an
acre It was not profitable to leave too much land
in permanent pasture or In timber. A big secret
OF Himelick's remarkable success is shown by the
600 animal units OF his farm as compared with
the average of 10 animal units. The labor income
WIS III ulTeC pTOpoTtlOu W III IA VI nhihioi
units.
Farms that received a larger part OF their In
comes from sale of crops had lower labor in
comes than Himelick. He sold few crops off the
farm and 1914 per cent of his receipts was from
livestock sales. In only one point did he fall
below the average: that was on livestock re-
ceIpts for each 800 worth of feed consumed. Here
the average was $146. while he received SAB for
each 500 worth of feed consumed. Himelick at
tributes this to the relatively high cost of beef
production as compared, for instance, with hog
feeding. Last fall he built a large silo. and with
last winters experience In feeding cattle on silage,
clover hay, wheat straw and corn stover he says
this figure will be raised. This summer he is
building another silo. Alfalfa will also be used
to cut down the cost of purchased protein feeds for
livestock production.
In spite of his splendid record Himelick is not
satisfied. and he is going ahead with improved
practices. He has sixty acres OF wheat that looks
like forty bushels to the acre. He and his two
boys were among the first seven prize winners In
the county five-acre corn-growing contest last
year. His second son, Virgil. won the first prize
of fifty dollars In this contest, besides a number Of
substantial prizes at the various local corn shows.
He and the boys sold more than fifty bushels Of
choice seed corn this spring at three dollars a
bushel. Father and the boys are entered In the
corn contest this year and have a eed-corn-breed
ing plot from which to select seed for home use
and for sale.
The old orchard has been pruned and sprayed
according to the most approved methods. The
boys are Interested In bulletins on cattle feeding.
One boy is becoming interested In a small dairy.
Himelick built a Purdue poultry house and bought
a big flock of pure-bred hens for his wife. and the
poultry profits have nearly doubled since last year.
In conversation with Himelick. the assistant
state leader Of farm-management work. Mr.. Elser,
asked whether q young man could start as Hime-
lick had done and with land values as high as they
are today expect % own a good farm some day.
With the confidence of success Himelick replied:
II think tho time was never brighter for the young
man to start out to own a farm than today. This
land was bought for s45 to 800 an acre in my day
II all had TO be cleared. ditched and improved.
Today / would not take $500 an acre for It. In
those days prices were low. but we lacked the
good stock and the labor-saving machinery we
have today. II the young man of today. with land
well improved. with good stock and good ma
chinery and with pluck. will start, determined to
make success. he has Just as good. II not a better
chance to own u farm at present prices as any
of us older men ever had."-Wm. Reynolds Butler,
In The Country Gentleman.
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