FINANCING THE INVESTMENT 



of staple crops. He must specialize in some 

 particular phase of agriculture, horticulture 

 or animal industry that will bring the largest 

 possible net returns per acre even though that 

 implies a considerably larger labor cost per unit 

 of operation than would be the case in the grow- 

 ing of the staple crops, such as the cereals. 

 The successful production of vegetable crops or 

 poultry products, for example, and their success- 

 ful merchandizing, rest primarily on the interest 

 and the adaptability of the individual. 



Avoiding Causes of Failure. To know what 

 procedures to avoid is to be fortified against 

 failure and to be prepared to take advantage 

 of those constructive measures which are con- 

 ducive to success. A recent survey has been 

 made in an eastern state on the causes of failure 

 in farming, frequently followed by necessitous 

 abandonment of the farm and home. This 

 survey shows that one of the principal causes 

 of failure is the effort to manage a farm that is too 

 large for the operator's capacity; his inexperience 

 and lack of knowledge constitute too great a 

 handicap on a large acreage. Best results can 

 be secured in farming only by seeding, cultivat- 

 ing and harvesting at the proper time in each 

 case. To a greater extent than is usually realized, 

 success depends upon good management, which 



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