CHOICE AND IMPROVEMENT OF CROPS. 97 



prices. He may be able to produce more cheaply by 

 a better use of machinery. 



General farming usually enables the farmer to dis- 

 tribute his labor and that of his employes and teams 

 to better advantage throughout the year. It gives 

 the advantages of a rotation of crops, and, if stock 

 feeding be a part of the system, of retaining much of 

 the manurial value of the crops on the farm. It is 

 something of a safeguard against poor yields and poor 

 prices. It rarely happens that all the crops give poor 

 yields and also bring low prices. This may happen 

 with a specialty in any one locality. 



The attempt to produce a little of each of a large 

 variety of crops on any farm is almost always unwise. 

 The safe rule is to give the chief attention to one or 

 two or three crops, but not limit the farm work to 

 these. 



The tendency in farming, as in almost all classes 

 of business, is toward specialization of effort and di- 

 vision of labor. This is wise,, but it may be carried too 

 far. It is not now wise for farmers to attempt to 

 clothe themselves with the wool or cotton produced on 

 their own farms or to produce all that they eat; but it 

 is not the best management for the largest number of 

 farmers in this country to buy any large part of the 

 food of their teams or other live-stock on their farms. 



For reasons which need not be discussed here, but 

 largely because the feeding of farm animals on the 

 farm is one of the best methods of preventing de- 

 crease of fertility, animal husbandry in some form 

 should be a part of the system of management on the 

 majority of the farms in the country. Meat, milk or 

 wool is most cheaply produced where the animals get 



