6 FAKMEBS* BULLETIN 614. 



on some small field set apart for that purpose. The most practical 

 method of feeding this crop is to cut and stack" the beans when ripe 

 and feed them out as hay. Racks may be provided or they may be 

 fed on the ground. The pigs are very fond of them, and if they are 

 not fed in too great abundance none will be wasted. Soy beans fed 

 in this way with corn make one of the most satisfactory winter feeds 

 that can be grown or purchased on the market. 



It may be desirable in some instances to enlarge on this farm sys- 

 tem so as to include cattle or sheep or both in the live stock kept. 

 This may be done by adding a sixth field to the plan proposed and 

 allowing it to remain in permanent pasture. Dairying might be 

 introduced into the system in localities favorable to this enterprise. 

 If this is done, enough cows should be maintained to keep a second 

 man practically busy with their care and management, since the 

 crops and hogs keep one man well employed. Another live-stock 

 enterprise suitable for combination with the system here outlined 

 is the keeping of brood mares to do the work and raise colts. With 

 any of these additional live-stock enterprises the farm should be of 

 sufficient size to permit the sixth field to remain in permanent pasture 

 and still allow the other fields to be of good size. 



THE SIZE OF THE FIELDS. 



In carrying out this system to the best advantage, the fields should 

 not be less than about 20 acres. In a 4-year rotation this would call 

 for 80 acres of tillable land and would just about represent a 1-man 

 3-horse farm in this latitude. In the 5-year rotation plan it would 

 call for 100 acres of tillable land, and this could still be handled 

 with the same working force. The sizes of the fields may be increased 

 up to 40 acres, beyond which it is doubtful whether the acreage 

 should be extended. If the fields are made to include 40 acres on 

 the 4-year plan, it would call for 160 acres of tillable land, and on the 

 5-year plan there would be 200 acres in the rotation. If one field 

 should be added and the same size maintained, there would be 240 

 acres in all. With this sixth field left in permanent pasture, the 

 entire farm can be handled by one man with the assistance of a hired 

 hand during the summer, provided he is equipped with a good 

 4-horse team and all machinery to correspond. The only extra labor 

 that would be required would be while putting up 40 acres of hay and 

 cutting and husking 40 acres of corn. If modern machinery is used, 

 but little extra labor will be required, even for these operations. 



By plowing one of the fields for corn late in the fall, such a plan 

 is perfectly feasible, and there would be no rush season when the 

 work could not be managed with a reasonable degree of comfort. 

 To carry this out, it would be necessary to have the sows farrow their 

 spring litters early in March, so as to require very little attention 



