326 THE CULTURE OF FARM CROPS. 



course of events; acquainting himself with the requirements 

 of the markets; and thus making his land the means of 

 bringing in the largest money return. The ordinary rou- 

 tine of farming is often too closely adhered to for the best 

 results to the farmer. He may grow vegetables for the mar- 

 kets near by, or for those of distant cities; he may grow 

 fruits, small and large; grow cucumbers and apples, and of 

 the latter make vinegar to pickle the former; he may even 

 manufacture his produce into finished and more salable ar- 

 ticles; he may do all this, and yet be a farmer; and the 

 more of this he does the more accomplished and successful 

 farmer he will be. 



But the more he knows of the inner secrets of his art and 

 the better he can till his land, the better he can turn all his 

 work to profit and advantage. His crops will be larger, he 

 will choose those which sell the most readily and for the 

 most money; he will work up as much as he can, using his 

 knowledge and skill for the purpose of making his products 

 more profitable. Every producer, of whatever kind of com- 

 modities he may have to sell, must study his markets and 

 learn everything possible of the disposition of his wares. 

 Otherwise he is working blindly and in the dark, and to 

 great disadvantage. 



So the farmer must not confine himself altogether to his 

 fields and his barns and his crops. His own mind and in- 

 telligence offer a broad field and deep rich soil for culture 

 of the most productive and profitable kind. The more he 

 knows, the more he can do; and the more he can make his 

 work and practice meet the necessities of the world which 

 he supplies. How many farmers know what the new pro- 

 cess of milling wheat is, and how the wheat he grows is 

 adapted for it? There is 10 cents a bushel difference between 

 the market value of two kinds of wheat of the same grade, 

 simply on account of the adaptability of the one kind for 

 this new process, by which a large quantity of more nutri- 

 tious flour is procured from the better variety of wheat. 

 There is money in this knowledge. 



Again, if the market values of wheats are studied, it will 



