Arizona republican., 1919-11-24
Live Stock on the Farm

Following some remarks of Saturday on the de-
cline of the daryng business in the Salt River VAL
ley quote from the Minnea polls Journal a, few
weeks speaking of the exhibit of producers and
farmers of Minnesota at the International Live Stock
Show at Chicago:
1t has been well demonstrated that diversified
use OF agricultural lands is excellent thing. The
importance of crop rotation generally we'll under
stood preserver of farm fertility and the prin
cple is more intelligently adhered to as the years
go on but there is too great a tendency in some
quarters TO underestimate the benefits of stock
raising as a corollary OF cereal and vegetable agri-
culture.
1t is human lay emphasis upon the farm
in other channels of activity, on those endeavors
which yield the greatest immediate returns but it
is not always wise Agricultural lands all this
country have been grievously mareated by subject
ing them to Severe tests in the production of
certain The fact Of this abuse is now painfully
evident and much Roadway has been made to atone
for the mistakes of the past, but the lesson of
Investigation and of soil rest has not even yet
been well enough learned, or at least not well
enough needed
The raising of livestock contributes to diversi-
fcation and rest. udicous recourse to it in agri
cultural programs and policies helps scarcely any
thing else can to conserve land fertility. This
statement remains true and worthy Of respect even
if it should happen that stock-raising is not as i'm
mediatey profitable the production of cereals.
fruits and vegetables.
There a temptation which few humans able
resist attempt rich in the shortest possi
BILE time the shortest wealth. For that
men overwork their horses themselves. These
short cats generally lead into blind alleys and time
must be lost in retracng our steps Sometimes that
time is too short and we have failed irretrievably.
Land may be overworked by the constant. monoto-
Of it. 1t will then take to reclaim it.
We cannot say too much for the long staple cot
ton industry in this valley. 1t has done more for
fo-
wealth, for the growth of towns than any other
incident since the building of the Roosevelt DAM 1t
is industry that cannot possibly be overdone in
the sense that many may engage in it to af-
feet the market adversely. If could devote twice
many to it has yet been planted it would
be all the better for the valley In that respect
have nothing to fear the conditions which came to
prevail few years before the in the great
short staple cotton growing region of the south which
suffered from production and found that the
single reed upon which it had leaned broken.
But there is limit upon the number of in
this valley put to cotton, and that limit is
far below the number of arabic acres in the valley
Cotton cannot be grown profitably the same land
after Some experts claim that three years
is the limit for profitable production: then the land
must have rest of years.
We will say that there are 900 of land
in this valley and that all of it is planted to cotton
At the end Of three years growing cotton would be
Improbable that there would have to be period
of some years in which cotton could be II
farmer should put all of his land to cotton. the
end of three years he would be out of the cotton
business and could not engage in it for years;
he would have sit the golden flow by.
Nor could he until his land had recuperated that is
for so, derive any other income from it;
he would have to wait for the growth of alfalfa
some other rejuvenating crop He would have to
stock it with cattle. sheep or hogs all that would
take time.
Certainly it would be better to order his farm
ing that he should always have his farm source
of revenue. that it would at all times be at the
highest stage OF production so that he could always
get the best crop of cotton and a half crop;
always the best crop or alfalfa to renew the weary
cotton fields and above all. he should always carry
live stock to replensh not only his excheauer, but
the lands that firing under the burden of cotton
wheat and alfalfa raising.
This valley needs system of sound farming
balanced agriculture based Investigation of
and rotation of crops. Another matter TO be taken
into serious consideration and one that has already
been recognized a problem, is the difficulty of OBJ
tanning the enormous amount of seasonal labor
quired for cotton picking. That difficulty must be
met before undertake too large acreage to be
devoted to cotton
But the main point is that if we are to maintain
plant larger acreage than we now have in cotton.