McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1921-12-16
FARMERS CAN LEARN
MUCH BY STUDYING
| NEIGHDORING FARMS
By ]. C. McAmis, Agronomy Specialist
/ Division of Extension, University
! of Tennessee.
aosms OF The Things That Indicate Tht
Success Or Failure Of Any Farm
Operations Pointed Out.

Every farmer has an opportunity TO
learn much about the management OF
his own farm by the careful study OF
the operations OF neighboring farms.
In general most farmers do talk farm
ing to their neighbors, and if they are
the right Kind Of neighbors they get
many helpful suggestions. However,
1t will be worth while for most farmers
to go about this matter viii! Il little
more patience and system. 1t Is Of al
most rs great Importance to study
thoroughly poorly managed farms as
1t Is to study well managed farms
Certainly 1t is essential in every case
To keep in mind the controlling factors
and to weigh carefully their relative
Importance in the success or failure
of tho farm under study;
While one may be ii truck farm ana
another general farm, the points Of
Judgment would be the same, except
that the different points may he given
more weight in one case than in the
other.
Some Of the general things that in
,licate the success or failure OF any
farm operations are: The quality Of
the fam business, the organization Of
The farm as whole the size Of the
business and the system CT marketing
Each point should be studied, begin
ming first with the quality Of the bus
fness as 1t Is affected by crop yields,
returns per head Of livestock, quality
OF the products and use of labor Of
men and teams.
ouALlTY OF THE FARM BUSINESS
The quality of the farm business is
determined by crop yields per acre,
live stock returns; the quality Of pro
ducts produced; and utilization of the
labor OF both men and teams.
Almost any successful farmer is
growing one-fourth to oEe-third more
crops per acre than his neighbors, be-
cause of the manurial treatments OF
the land such as the use Of lime, phos-
phate, legume crops, stable and green
manures. Knowing the treatments in
these respects you could predict in
Tennessee about what the crop yields
would be without seeing the crop or
having a record. II the farm Is IA hill
farm one would be fairly safe in pre-
dieting good yields IL the soil has not
been allowed to wash away. An ex-
animation OF the corn field will show
ct once whether best use Is being made
OF the soil by high yielding variety.
In the same way that crop yields in
fuence profits so do returns per head
OF livestock. The relative Importance
OF the two will depend upon the per
cent of farm receipts from each. One
may be fairly safe, though not abso-
luteiy SO, IN lodging on these points:
Whether a purebred sire Is In use
whether animals are properly and
economically fed, as Judged by sucn
points as pasture for hogs, silage for
dairy COWS, ETC.: keeping Of records,
such M dates OF breeding, milk yields,
ste
| The returns from both the crops
and livestock will be somewhat in
huenced by the quality Of the products,
On two. apparently similarly managed
faSms.
: The labor of men and teams u the
most expensive single item In the cost
Of the production Of crops for market
or for feed. Therefore the quality
u the business b in direct proportion
20 the efficiency In use Of men and |
teams This can be estimated by the |
number Of days OF productive labor,
m item which viii be hard to obtain
nccurately ON most farms Some
teams work one-third Of the time,
white j others work twOLthirds or
more. The number Of acres of titled
crops per man and team to the
thoughtful farmer, would Indicate the
same thing. A man and team should
handle about fifty cultivated acres
q year or better. Tbs distribution OF
labor throughout the season can be
seen at glance at the rotation and
diversity Of enterprises, and their
connection one with the othsr.
Another signboard ON every farm Is
the implement shed, which tell some
what whether the farmer Is substitute
ing horse labor for man labor and
how much horse power he is able to
get with each man. The layout of the
farm, such as arrangement of the
ields, their distance from the build.
ings, etc. may be prime reason for
the success of one farm as compared
with another, because 1t controls ex-
pense of labor, although 1t may in.
tiuence the character of the animals
crop yields, etc, indirectly.
Organization Of Farm As A Unit +
The organization of the farm as o
whole may be the key to success or !
failure ON any particular farm. Diver. |
In crops and livestock is not !
enough. Each must fit into the sys.
TEN. The rotation must fit the live
stock aud Wee versa. Ii requires no
detective to-deterinine this poIut. Tie
farB should produce the necessary
fox.lS animals and feeds feeds for usa .