160 



ELEMENTS OF AGRICULTURE 



a full crop of other grains. The demand for wheat as 

 human food and for oats as horse food, makes these grains 

 sell for higher prices per pound than corn. 



AVERAGE CROPS IN THE UNITED STATES FOR FIVE YEARS (1903-1907). 



Another reason for growing corn is that it is a tilled 

 crop. It is very desirable to have a tilled crop in the 

 rotation, in order to free the land of weeds and secure 

 the other benefits that come from tillage. 



Since corn pays better than oats in most parts of the 

 United States, why should we raise any oats? Oats are 

 really not a competitor of corn. A farmer can raise all 

 the corn that he can care for and raise oats besides, as the 

 work does not come at the same time. Some persons have 

 wondered why American farmers give so much less atten- 

 tion to potatoes and root crops than do the farmers of 

 Europe. These crops compete with corn. They occupy 

 the same place in the rotation as corn, and require work 

 at the same season of the year. In Europe, the climate 

 and cheaper labor are both favorable to these crops, so 

 that they can drive corn out. In this country, we raise 

 few root crops or potatoes except for human food. Our 

 climate makes corn a cheaper stock food. A farmer should 



1 Total food here includes the digestible protein-f-carbohydrates-f-2iX 

 tat. (See page 286.) 



