478 TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VI 



with which to meet their debts. Why? Because diversified 

 farming with the timely aid of dairy dollars can meet and is 

 successfully meeting the emergency. 



Fifth — The dairy herd conserves and even increases soil 

 fertility, assuring good yields of farm crops in future years. 

 At the same time the herd provides a sure, prompt, and profit- 

 able outlet for grains and roughage grown on the farm. Land 

 that supports good dairy herds becomes richer year by year 

 whereas land devoted to raising grains and hay for market 

 soon becomes sadly depleted unless carefully managed and un- 

 less commercial fertilizer is purchased. Every ton of corn 

 sold off the farm, worth in normal times about $20.00 takes 

 with it $6.50 worth of plant food ; every ton of wheat worth 

 $35.00 takes $17.00; every ton of butterfat worth about $1,000.- 

 00 takes only 49 cents worth of plant food ! Meanwhile the herd 

 is returning many times this amount in fertility. It pays to 

 market crops in the milk can. Keep these facts in mind when 

 you haul away your next load of oats or hay. 



Sixth — Our biggest and most successful dairymen, with 

 years of practical experience to back up their statements, say, 

 "The dairy crop is the only one which has never known a com- 

 plete failure." They base this statement on a few simple facts. 

 In the first place dairying is more quickly adjustable to new 

 conditions and prices than any other kind of farming. We can 

 easily see why. Field crops are marketed once a year, and the 

 price is forced down — temporarily — because of the overload of 

 any single crop on the market. The marketing period is not 

 distributed. To purposely hold for higher prices means to wait 

 for the money tied up in the crop. Not so with the dairyman. 

 He markets his "crop" every day, or every few days at most, 

 and is paid once or twice a month or oftener. His returns no 

 doubt do vary in times such as the present when all lines of in- 

 dustry are being readjusted, but a few months of low prices do 

 not condemn the industry. The reasoning farmer notes a drop 

 of 15 to 25 percent in milk prices, then compares this to the drop 

 of corn from $1.50 per bushel to around 60 cents, and pork 

 from 23 cents to 9 cents. He figures his average earnings for 

 the last two years and is satisfied. He knows that no business 

 is entirely free from ups and downs ; he also knows that none 

 are more highly favored than dairying in this respect. 



