2 



FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



Average real estate value per acre of medium farm* uith at least 

 tmm ffths of income derived from h-ay and grain, 1900 and 190-5. 



State 



Value in 

 1900 



Value in 



1905 



Increase during 

 five years 



4; : 



48^4 

 : ^ 



30.01 

 36.44 

 2S.11 

 51.95 

 2534 

 11.03 

 14.54 



17.47 



?- a 

 mm 

 mm 



47.10 

 35.04 

 66.10 

 .V t 

 18.82 

 24.00 

 V 5> 



mm 



$ 4.09 

 3.71 

 10.00 

 13.83 



6.38 

 10.75 



6.9? 

 14.15 

 1055 



7.7 



9.46 



10.06 



Pcrcemt 

 102 

 9.2 

 20.7 

 315 

 37.8 

 21.3 

 295 

 24.7 

 27.2 

 41.3 

 70.6 

 65.1 

 56.9 

 57.6 



The increase in value per acre ranges from 20 to 70 per cent 

 for the States west of Pennsylvania. The increased yield per acre and 

 price per ton during this time is insignificant when compared with 

 the large increase in value of hay land. The point to be remem- 

 bered is this, that as land increases in value the yield per acre must 

 be increased in like proportion in order to realize the same profit on 

 the investment, provided the price per ton remains the same or 

 nearly so. (F. B. 362.) 



All haymaking is. of course, subject to the same kind of pos- 

 sible drawbacks, and hence the same methods for curing and saving 

 whether it be under favorable or adverse conditions are applicable 

 to the one variety as well as to the other. 



Hay-Farming. Hay is one of the most profitable cash crops. 

 It will be seen that hay or potatoes, or both, combined with market 

 milk, make one of the most profitable types of farming. Some 

 farmers depend nearly altogether on hay. Of 605 farms operated 

 by owners, seven sold over $1.000 worth of hay. The average labor 

 income by the men was $1.127. Two of them had 100 acre farms 

 and made labor incomes of $1.132 and $1,437. The other five had 

 large farms, and three rented additional land. They farmed an 

 average of 277 acres each. These men are making rood profits. 

 They are not making provision for keeping up the fertility of their 

 farms, as they do not keep much stock or buy much fertilizer. Tem- 

 porarily this type of farming is sometimes desirable. A young man 

 who buys a farm and has not money enough for stocking the place 

 may often find it profitable to depend almost entirely on hay for a 

 year or two until he gets a start. It seems possible that hay-farming 

 might be made more profitable and at the same time keep up the 

 fertility of the land bv the proper use of fertilizers. At Rothamsted, 

 England, the yield of hay has been kept up and improved for sixty- 

 six years by using commercial fertilizers. Fertilizing hay has re- 

 ceived almost no attention in this country. The combination of stock 

 and hay, with fertilizers on hay would probably pay still better. 

 (Cornell Bui.) 



