ESSENTIAL FACTORS OF SUCCESS IN FARMING 585 



the complete management of a complex business to an inexperienced 

 young man, even though he were able to analyze the raw materials 

 and point out some absolute essentials for the highest grade of 

 finished products? 



Let the landowner of executive and business ability take the 

 graduate from the agricultural college as a junior partner, until 

 he has had the opportunity to acquire those essentials in the school 

 of experience under the wiser guidance of the older man, who 

 should not forget, however, that land which has been running down 

 for half a century cannot be built up in a year so as to pay both 

 cost and profit on the improvement. 



An investment of $2 per acre per annum which always pro- 

 duces an increase above the preceding year of 2 bushels of corn per 

 acre (and equivalent amounts of other crops in the rotation) fur- 

 nishes corn as follows: 



COST OF CORN PER BUSHEL 



First year $1.00 



Second year 50 



Third year 33$ 



Fourth year 25 



Fifth year . . * 20 



Sixth year i6| 



Eighth year i2\ 



Tenth year 10 



These figures mean that land which increases in productiveness at 

 the rate of 2 bushels per annum would rise from 50 bushels to 70 

 bushels per acre in ten years' time, and if this change can be brought 

 about at a cost of $2 per acre per annum, it will be an extremely 

 profitable investment, although there may be an apparent loss for 

 the first few years. And this does not take into account the certain 

 fact that if the land is not properly treated, it will sooner or later de- 

 crease in productive power below the 5o-bushel yield. 



Even large annual expense will ultimately prove profitable if 

 it provides for a system of farming under which the land steadily 

 increases in productiveness; whereas, if a system is followed 

 which allows the soil to become depleted of any essential constituent, 

 failure must finally result, whether we grow one grain crop year 

 after year, rotate the grain crops, or use inadequate amounts of 

 manure, clover, or commercial fertilizers. 



