Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-01-18
DIVERSIFIED FARMING
PREVENTS FAILURES
SINGLE CROP FARMER SUFFERED
MOST FROM HARD TIMES AND
DEPRESSION

The history of American farming
contains many incidents which lend
strength to the belief that for the
average farmer diversified farming
will be more apt to bring prosperity
han will single crop farming The
most acute and serious agriculture
depression has come in regions which
we're at the time inAquestion devoted
10 single staple crops. The exclusive
wheat and exclusive cotton farmers
have suffered more in the way Of hard
ines than any other class of farmers
whatever.
There are numerous reasons for
his. The one crop farmer is apt to
ave practically one pay day in the
ear, while the diversified farmer has
,ay days at least as often as once a
month and very likely still oftener
han that.
The difference between getting the
anne sum of money in single pay
y
If smaller payments distributed
throughout the year is very important
nd in many cases makes the differ
nee between success and failure.
There would not be this difference
f both classes of farmers were OPP
rating on a strictly cash basis. II
he single crop farmer started out
With cash enough of his own to do
lin until his crop was harvested and
old, and then based his expenses for
he ensuing year upon the returns
rom that crop he might get along as
veil as anybody.
But it is very rarely that l." is in
a position 70 do this or has the
strength of purpose to do it even it
nc could The usual way in So gle
crop farming is to run upon long time
credits. The farner lives not ION the
returns from last years crop BIZ uron
the r. Lur.s from the current Var
and does rot know what those are to
be. until the .ear is ended. He usually
hores they are going to be more than
hey turn ovt to be and bases his ex-
penditures pom those hopes W.T.. the
result that in bad years he has 1. BITS
he cannot bay and must p1edg4 his
capital, that is mortgage his farm. to
make good the difference.
The farmer who is getting cream
cry check once month or returns
from other items perhaps oftener, can
work upon a cash basis or upon cred
its and cut his coat according to his
cloth accordingly. He knows pretty
accurately just how much he can
spend without impairing his capital
investment and so, instead of the ten
iency to spend little more than crop
returns justify which the one-crop
farmer shows, he shows a tendency
to spend little less than he is receiv
ing and thus save money for the i'm
provement of his farm and his stock
or for other investment.
Another point about diversified
farming is that in such farming more
Of the family living comes directly
from the farm. In wheat raising re-
gions there are to be found farmers
who do not keep a cow or chicken
who live in town perhaps, keep no
sort of domestic animals except
horses and have no buildings on their
farms except shelter sheds. In a way
they may be said to raise their own
flour but it is in very indirect way
for they sell their wheat to the ele-
yators and buy that flour they prob
ably pay freight on their wheat from
their farm to some distant mill and
freight on the flour back again as
well as for the actual milling expen-
ses,