The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-03-28
DiversificatiOn Pays

The farmers of Brooks county, Ga.
have proven in a most practical way that
a diversified type of farming, with cot
ton retained as the chief single source
of income, can be profitably developed in
many parts of the south For many years
the farmers, particularly in the lower
half of the county. have developed the
swine industry and the production on the
farm of the products consumed IN the
hosne to a point that has been equaled
in but few places in the south The
United States department of agriculture
in 1914 conducted farm management
survey III this county, a report OF when
is published in bulletin GAS, which states
that the type of farming found embodies
features that might with profit be
adopted in many parts of the cotton belt
Cotton continues to be the chief source
of income in this section, but unlike
many other localities in the south the
next largest returns are accredited to
hogs Little of the crop land in this
community is wasted. 1t is either made
into pasture for hogs or cattle, or Gull
tivated and put in corn and peanuts
CASUALLY grown togetherl, cotton, water
melons oats, rye, and other feed crops.
On nearly every farm there is good
home garden.
community the report states, shows that
the more highly diversified farms have
slight advantage over the others IN the
yields of crops, a considerable advantage
in providing profitable employment for
the war stock, and in returning larger
profits per farm The farms upon which
the least diversification was practiced
returned 10 per cent less profit than the
average for the farms of similar size,
while the farms practicng the most di-
versification returned 16 per cent more
than The average.
In considering this question of DIVERSE
fled forming the bulletin sounds one note
os warning. 1t states that wide depar-
lures from practices that fit economic
factors at work in the community are
likelv to lead to financial disaster. The
proper selection of farm enterprises is
n large factor in determining the success
of the business. and of equal Importance
is the combining of these enterprises
in the proportion that best fit the local
conditions No abrupt changes, there
fore should be made unless the local
conditions are changed by such FACTORS
as altered market conditions or the IN
PRODUCTION of serious pests and any
change should have the most carefui con-
sideration of the farmer.
The report further points out that one
If .he surest means of increasing the
profita bleness of these farms is by IN
creasing the profitableness OF these farms
is by increasing the crop yields. Ihere
is for each crop a point beyond wmch
any further increase in yield can be Sc
cured only at a cost higher than the re-
turns. On some individual farms In
Brooks county this point of diminishing
returns" has no doubt been reached or
exceeded. but in studying groups or
farms it was found that on the average
increasing the Yields Of any crop resulted
il increased profits,
Keeping work stock employed is an
other important factor in the determlnlns
o. farm profits On farms that Kept
mules productivity employed for only 6z
DAVIS ner wear the cost of work STOCK
vas 81 10 per day, whereas on farms pro-
vidinl 172 days of productive LABOR tne
cost was only 70 cents per day Inc
fa1ms that kept work stock economlcally
employed did so by cultivating a suttl-
eicntly large area per mule. Thirty 10
81 acres per work animal was found 70
be the most profitable on the light SOILS
of Brooks county