TWELFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. 243 



INTENSIFIED FABMING. 



"France Warner of Wright county, Iowa, clears $1,000.00 a year from 

 his 66 acre farm. This would not be hard if it were a truck or dairy farm 

 near some big city where the produce could be sold for special prices; but 

 his is simply a general farm farmed on the intensive order. The farm 

 consists of 45 acres of rolling farm land, with the remaining 21 acres a 

 flat river bottom with enough of a rise at one place for the farmstead. 

 The 45 acres are used for crops on which a three year rotation is prac- 

 ticed; the crops being corn, oats, and clover in the order mentioned. 

 Every fall the stubble ground and new clover is covered with a coating 

 of manure. This helps to protect the clover during the winter and at the 

 same time gets the use of the manure on the clover ground and the corn. 

 By doing this there is but very little extra fertility saved over for the 

 oat crop, and therefore, it does not lodge under ordinary climatic condi- 

 tions. 



Of course, with as small a place as that everything receives the best of 

 care, both in the field and in the stable. Only the very best is saved for 

 reproduction. The crops that his three 15 acre fields produce on the aver- 

 age are: 



15 acres corn at 70 bushels equals 1,050 bushels. 



15 acres oats at 60 bushels equals 900 bushels. 



15 acres clover equals 40 to 45 tons, according to stand and weather. 



This is utilized right on the farm every year and again returned to the 

 field and soil in the form of manure. 



It is from his stock that he receives his income. Four mares are kept 

 on the place, three heavy draft mares and a lighter one for driving pur- 

 poses. The light one is heavy enough so that she can work part of the 

 time when four are needed for putting in the crops in the spring, or for 

 plowing in the fall. All four of these mares are bred every spring. From 

 them he figures on raising three -colts. These colts he generally keeps 

 until they are two years old, at which time he can sell them readily for 

 $150.00 apiece, or $450.00 for the three. He keeps ten cows of the milking 

 strain of shorthorns. By selection, weeding and feeding he has brought 

 them to the point where they are producers above the ordinary, and he 

 figures on them making him, on the average $40.00 apiece. 



From his cows, then, he receives $400.00. His ten Duroc Jerseys are 

 kept in good shape on his large amount of skim milk, and they have an 

 average six pigs apiece. These 60 pigs he keeps until ihey will bring him 

 $10.00 on the average, or $600.00 in all. This year he has been making a 

 little better than that all around, but the above figures are those given 

 by him as his standard from year to year. 



The above figures total as follows: 



Four brood mares, three colts equal $ 450.00 



Ten cows and their calves equal 400.00 



Ten sows. 60 pigs, equal 600.00 



$1,450.00 

 Besides the above he sells chicken produce, garden truck and seed corn 

 enough to meet the running expenses of the family, which consists of a 

 mother, a wife and himself. 



