690 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
THE FARIM AND THE FLOCK. 
HOWARD A. CHANDLER, CHARITOX, IOWA. 
Farmers of today are working under different conditions than did their 
forefathers, in many instances the soil has been tilled until it is weak- 
ened, the population has so rapidly increased that there is keen demand 
for land and its value has greatly advanced, the world demands higher 
class products from the farm, and all of the many millions of people 
must be clothed and fed. The agricultural population realizes more fully 
than ever before the necessity of restoring strength to worn out farms 
and also of keeping up even those that are the most productive. Farmers 
do not desire to repeat past folly of continually raising grain and not 
returning anything to the soil and they are anxious to learn the best 
solution of this problem. Land is getting higher and higher in price and 
not only are owners of deteriorated farms striving to bring theirs up to 
an average but those who have the most valuable and richest farms want 
some means of keeping up this high standard and to derive the necessary 
profit from a large investment. Therefore the main purpose of the farmer 
is to increase the productive power of the soil and to raise upon that land 
what will make the largest net returns. As no soil can be continually 
farmed for grain it must be changed to clovers and other grasses and 
then comes the question "what is it that will give the best results in in- 
creasing soil fertility and also the largest profits from grasses both 
green and in the form of hay?" The fact that many have learned the 
correct answer to this question is one reason why the sheep business 
has generally increased. Their droppings are the richest of known 
natural fertilizers and are well scattered over the pasture. In addition 
to this, the flock is the greatest of weed destroyers and killing such large 
quantities of numerous weeds preserves in the soil that plant food which 
the weeds would have consumed. So the flock adds strength to the soil 
in two ways, and the good returns from their eating nearly every known 
weed is invariably underestimated. No other domestic animal will so 
completely clear the farm, and at the same time sheep use weeds as 
food. Apart from preserving soil fertility, the total riddance of weeds 
adds much to the appearance of land. Farmers, as a whole, have parti- 
ally learned the value of a flock in this respect and those who are work- 
ing to preserve their farms are not scoffed at as they were a few years 
ago. As more attention is given to the soil, the number of Locks will 
increase. If sheep consumed as much grain and hay accordingly as 
other stock, sold for the same market price, and had no wool, flocks 
would anyway eventually become more numerous on our farms in order 
to obtain the results just mentioned. But there are many more facts 
that place sheep in favor over other farm animals. Our population all 
must be clothed and their average wealth is such that good clothes will 
be purchased. That means large demand for wool and it is in evidence 
according to the high price for wool. The strong continual demand v/ill 
always keep it there, too, just the same as wheat, corn, etc., which the 
millions of people must have. 
