66 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



these conditions farm management practice of southern New 

 England is not now in full adjustment. 



In the economy of such conditions low-producing cows have 

 no place; all dairy herds should be closely culled, though 

 seldom disposed of entirely. Labor distribution becomes of 

 paramount importance. Owing to the fact that the dairy 

 herd demands for its care more men than can be used in 

 growing the crops to feed, more cash crops should be grown. 

 Under the changed economic conditions the old doctrine — 

 that everything grown on the farm should be fed there — is 

 fallacious, and quite often costs the farmer a pretty sum. 

 Chemical fertilizers, when price of the crops grown warrant a 

 liberal application, fully maintain soil fertility. Especially is 

 this true if the crop grown leaves in the soil a considerable 

 residue of organic matter. In southern New England it is 

 always possible to follow a rotation which includes one or 

 more such crops. 



The price of a crop in the eastern and southeastern States 

 largely determines whether it depletes or upbuilds a soil. 

 When cotton was around 7 cents a pound its continuous cul- 

 ture in the southeastern States exhausted the soil rapidly. 

 With cotton at 12 and 15 cents, its continuous culture in the 

 eastern part of the cotton belt rapidly builds up fertility. The 

 reason is that the heavy fertilizer application warranted under 

 the higher price produced such a heavy growth of plant as to 

 rapidly increase the organic content of the soil. Present prices 

 of hay in southern New England warrant a fertilizer applica- 

 tion which will increase fertility far more than did the old 

 system of producing low yields yet feeding on the farm and 

 returning all the manure that was not wasted. 



Many of the farms of southern New England are entirely 

 too small for most efficient operation under the scheme of 

 fewer cows, better cows and more crops for sale. The old 

 proverb about a little farm well tilled was good in this region 

 many years ago, but does not fit into the economy of the 

 competitive system of dairy farming in southern New England 

 to-day. 



Southern New England farms in the aggregate are slowly 

 responding to this economic pressure, and are readjusting their 



