The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1916-03-31
DIVERSIFIED FARMING
AND TRUCK GARDENING
Success on the Land Depends on Diver
SifiCatiOn, Stock Raising and
Kitchen Gardening

A recent bulletin from the U. S. Ag-
ricultural Department urged upon all
who depended in any way on cultiva-
ton oil the soil. including dairying,
stockraising, poultry raising, fruit grow
ing-in short, all who live on the land
and depend on it for living or profit,
to diversity as much as their circum-
stances and surroundings will permit.
Up to few years ago the apple
grower OF the Wenatchee valley de-
pended solely on his apple crop to pay
for everything the family required. Not
one apple grower in ten diversified to
the extent Of having a garden. He
went to town for the potatoes, peas,
corn, cabbage, lettuce-in fact, every
vegetable that came to his table was
paid for out Of the returns on his ap-
pies. It is true that the apple business
was then highly profitable and for a
time stood a heavy burden OF house
hold expense and still left margin.
But this very fact helped to reduce the
price Of apples. The enormous profits
induced so many to engage in the oc-
cupation that the supply of high priced
fruit exceeded the demand. When
the money stringency hit the country
FIVE or six years ago all but a few rich
people were compelled to buy cheaper
fruit, and there were not enough well-to-
do people to consume all the higher
priced article. Now, if the apple
grower had cultivated a garden 25x75
feet, enough ground to supply the aver
age family with all the vegetables re-
quired thru the summer and put some
away for winter, and put the money
spent for these table necessities in
stocking for a rainy day, he could have
pulled thru the slump in the apple in
dustry. Now do not say this could not
have been done on so small plot OF
ground. 1t has been done repeatedly.
All by little work early in the morn
ing and late in the evening. Oftimes
BY children under the direction OF
father or mother. Of course the ground
was enriched and the cultivation was
along intensive lines. AS soon as one
thing matured and came off something
else was planted in its place. No spot
was allowed to remain idle during the
growing season.
The dairyman who goes to town for
all his COW feed can not prosper long.
The high price of butterfat may stand
the strain for a time, but there will
come a time when the price Of butter
fat will 90 down for some reason and
then the business will not stand for all
the feed from town. And then, too,
Just about that time the price Of feed
may for one cause or another be unus-
ually high, which happens to be the
case just now.
Whatever occupation you follow, Mr..
Man-on-the Land, do not pin all your
faith to one line OF activity. If you
raise chickens, also raise your feed for
them, or as much of it as possible.
Keep one or two cows, few pigs and,
BY all means, have a garden. If you
are on the land, whatever your chief
occupation may be, do not neglect the
garden. 1t will save you 500 to $3.50
every year. The more sidelines you
have the better and safer. Some may
fail you, they nearly always do, from
some cause beyond your control. But
they will not all fail. They very rarely
do that. We knew small farmer
once, and he was hustler, too, but
his pigs died, one Of his COWS died and
the other dried up on him, and he was
feeling swfully blue, but he Kept right
on. In the late summer he sowed a
hall acre OF turnips. The ground was
rich, the season favored him and that
fall turnips happened to be scarce in
the neighborhood. He had fine crop
and received almost two hundred dol
lars for the turnips from his hall acre
that fall and winter. Do not give up
because everything does not come up
to your expectations. That happens to
most il not all Of Us. every year. Re
rn.roher- Mr.. Man-on-the-Land, the