848 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



the buildings and improvements on their land. Their money has come to 

 them through the rise in land values and outside speculation. The 

 profits from the rise in Iowa land when the investment is considered will 

 soon be a thing of the past, and Ave have got to fall back on up-to-date 

 farming for our profits in the future. The iuteligent man who thinks, 

 knows that every acre of land he owns which is covered with water or 

 swamp is a source of positive loss to him each year. Not only is the 

 monej' invested in that acre absolutely idle but every cent of taxes he 

 pays on it is thrown away. The only way to stop this positive loss is to 

 drain it. Every acre of wet sloughy land producing nothing but slough 

 hay would produce at least as much again and probably two-thirds more 

 feeding value if drained and seeded to clover or other tame grasses. No, 

 slough grass does not pay interest on the investment and your profit 

 is gone. Drain it. Thousands of acres of land in Humbodlt county 

 are farmed eA'ery year which are so wet that after the seed, the work, 

 and wear and tear of machinery is counted, do not begin to pay day's 

 wages for farming it. On those acres you are losing money. Drain it. 

 Every farm thoroughly drained so that an intelligent rotation of crops 

 can be kept up including pasture and hay, largely of clover, will increase 

 in productiveness at least one third by reason of this rotation, and this 

 is clear profit. Up-to-date farming means the thorough cleaning of seed 

 grains, especially oats, blowing and screening out twenty-five bushels 

 of every one hundred if necessary and feeding them to the calves. You 

 thus sow oats of uniform size, weight and germinating power. This is 

 as essential in oats as in corn, and does away with so many short weak 

 straws with only vitality enough to produce five or six light and worth- 

 less hulls. It means the planting of such carefully cared for and 

 uniform sized seed corn with such an up-to-date planter on such carefully 

 prepared ground that a uniform stand of about three stalks to the hill 

 may be secured, and it can be done. It is surprising how much a too 

 heavy planting will reduce the yield on ordinary land, to say nothing of 

 the increased labor of husking; and we all know what the result of too 

 light a stand is. 



It means breeding of thoroughly good stock of all kinds; avoiding 

 scrub or grade sires always. Occasionally a grade male will prove an 

 excellent breeder but there are so many more chances against him than 

 the thoroughbred that the difference in price is a foolish attempt at 

 economy; but it does not always follow that a thoroughbred is good 

 stock. The country is full of scrub thoroughbreds and the fact that an 

 animal is registered does not always guarantee a good line of breeding 

 or a good individual. 



It means the preparation and maintenance of so much good hog 

 pasture, divided into several lots, that all of your hogs especially the 

 breeding sows and young pigs shall have all of the blue grass, clover 

 and rape pasture that they can make use of during the summer months 

 together with all the milk you can give the pigs and they will need but 



