RAISE MORE AND BLT LESS. 18T 



used to the ruin both of the farm and also of the farmer's financial 

 prospects. When intelligently used, and that in connection with 

 such other appliances as intelligence and enterprise are sure to 

 provide, improved crop production and farm profits will inevitably 

 follow. The work of improvement must extend at least to all the 

 arable land of the farm. Large fields on comparatively small areas 

 are no evidence of good farming but rather the reverse. A prem- 

 ium crop on one acre, produced at the expense of a dwarfed pro- 

 duction on the balance of the farm is neither praiseworthy nor 

 profitable. 



Let us apply figures to this question of home production, and 

 furnish if we can a mathematical demonstration of its practicability 

 based upon known facts. I will present a statement of the annual 

 gross and also the net receipts produced by a very simple rotation 

 of crops, applied to a field of thirteen acres in my own practice. I 

 will here state that the field was purchased of a farmer who bought 

 a large portion of the grain consumed upon his farm, because he 

 could do so " much cheaper than he could raise it." The soil is 

 cla\', free from stones, and the field is much like the average clay 

 pastures of Cham plain Valley, which in an unimproved state can be 

 purchased at prices ranging from fifteen to twenty dollars per acre. 

 It is not an exceptional case, but may be regarded as an average of 

 the results of many years practice in the renovation of soils. The 

 grain was measured but the weight of the hay was estimated, but 

 at a manifestly fair estimate. The values affixed to both are not 

 above the average prevailing prices for the last ten years. The 

 barley was much of it sold for seed at eighty cents per bushel. The 

 land was plowed with Casaday Sulky Plows, and the teams driven 

 bj' boys at ten dollars per month, as was also the seeder, harrows, 

 reaper and mowers. The grain fed upon the farm was ground in a 

 farm mill, operated by the same help which, however, is not in- 

 cluded in the following estimates for labor. With these explana- 

 tions I submit the following table, showing both the gross and net 

 results per acre for each of the six years. 



First years product, 33 bu. peas and oats, at 50c per bu. . $16 50 

 Cost of production per acre, including seed 5 50 



Net receipts per acre $ 1 1 00 



Second year, 26 bushel barley, at 50c. per bushel $13 00 



Cost, including seed, barley, clover and timothy 7 50 



Net receipts per acre $5 50 



