298 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



The old story of crop rotation was illustrated by means of charts and 

 records. It was shown that during the past eight years the Iowa State 

 College has had a certain tract of land under a four-year rotation con- 

 sisting of two years corn, one year oats, and one year clover. During 

 these eight years corn on the rotation fields averaged 73.6 bushels per 

 acre; oats, 68.5, and clover, 2.95 tons. On similar land where corn was 

 grown eight years in succession, the average yield was only 53.9 bushels 

 per acre. Reliable figures show that at present prices of farm products 

 the land under rotation has produced $5 more per acre as an average 

 for the past eight years than that which was not under rotation. Those 

 who have attended the Iowa state fair regularly have seen the soil map 

 of Iowa, which the state college has been exhibiting for a number of 

 years. This same map was on exhibition again this year, and judging 

 from the interest farmers took in this, it still serves a useful purpose. 

 This map shows the different soil areas in the state and the attendants 

 gave information in regard to the general average composition of the 

 soils in the different areas. This map we have always regarded as one 

 of the valuable features of the college exhibit, because it gives a man a 

 comprehensive view of the soils in the entire state. 



For some time the Iowa State College has been gathering statistics 

 from tenants with a view of getting an insight into their income. The 

 results of this investigation show that long-term tenants are making 

 considerably more money than short-term tenants. Tenants who have 

 been on the same farms for five years or more have an average annual 

 income of $1,877; those who have been on farms for three to four years 

 in succession, an income of $1,090, and those who have been on farms 

 for one to two years, an income of only $866. These figures are valuable 

 not only to tenants, but also to land owners, and it is to be hoped that 

 many landlords were impressed by them. The reason why we have so 

 many short-term tenants is not the fault of the tenants themselves so 

 much as it is of the land owners. The average land owner will not 

 rent his farm for more than one year at a time and so long as that 

 system prevails our lands will continue to be robbed of their fertility. 

 A tenant can not afford to build up a farm if he has no assurance of 

 remaining on it for more than one year. For the same reason no land- 

 lord can afford to rent his farm for one year at a time; we need long- 

 term leases. Not until they become common will any progress be made 

 in building up the fertility of tenant farms. It was also shown that 

 tenants who keep live stock to the extent of 1,000 pounds per four acres 

 of land have an annual income of $1,650, while tenants who kept live 

 stock to the weight of 1,000 pounds per 20 acres had an income of only 

 $485 per year. In other words, the live stock tenants are the men who 

 are making the biggest profits. 



The information that could be gathered in the college building with 

 reference to varieties of grains was also very valuable. For a number of 

 years the most promising varieties of winter wheat have been Turkey 



