268 PRINCIPLES OF RURAL ECONOMICS 



it was not until after the introduction of clover and root crops 

 into England, and the superior type of farming which resulted 

 from it, that the great English breeders began to develop the 

 modern English breeds of live stock. The reason was that for 

 the first time these crops furnished winter feed in sufficient 

 quantities to enable the flocks and herds to be brought through 

 the year in good condition. In America, however, up to the 

 present time, this principle has not been so apparent because 

 we have always had a frontier where cattle could be grown 

 cheaply on open land or ranges. When these range lands are 

 exhausted and our supply of cattle has to be produced on our 

 cultivated farms, it will be found necessary greatly to improve 

 our characteristic systems of culture, particularly in the manage- 

 ment of pastures, where there is probably greater room for 

 improvement than in any other branch of agriculture. The in- 

 troduction also of superior forage crops, such as alfalfa, is likely 

 to have a profound reaction upon our live-stock industry. Again, 

 sheep husbandry is an impossibility in any community whose 

 moral and intellectual condition is such as to permit the com- 

 mon cur dog to multiply freely and prey upon the flocks of the 

 would-be enterprising farmer. 



Tnp]s. As already suggested, the question of the kinds and 

 quantities of the tools, machinery, etc., to use will depend partly 

 upon the size of the farm. It will depend also upon the social 

 and economic conditions in the community surrounding the 

 farm, partly upon the character of the labor to be had, and 

 particularly and primarily upon the price which has to be paid 

 for that labor. A machine is, of course, a labor-saving device. 

 Whether it pays you to use it or not, will depend upon whether 

 the machine costs less or more than the labor would cost which 

 it enables you to save. If the labor costs less than the machine, 

 obviously it will not pay to use the machine. The extensive use 

 of agricultural machinery is most economical, and will therefore 



