CHAPTER XXIII 



PROFITABLE CROP PRODUCTION 



Large Crops Not Necessarily the Most Profitable. It is 

 commonly assumed by farmers that large crop yields per acre are 

 the most profitable, and that he who raises the most per acre 

 makes the most money. This may or may not be true. High 

 yields per acre are profitable when consistent with low cost per 

 unit of produce. Low-priced land, rich, virgin soil, favorable 

 seasons and cheap labor are important ^actors which lend to such 

 possibilities; but ordinarily the general principle is that the higher 

 the yield on a given soil, the greater the cost per acre. The product 

 per dollar of expense will usually increase up to a certain point 

 as a result of increased expenditures per acre, but a point is certain 

 to be reached with continued increase of expenditures when the 

 returns per dollar will be less and less. 



On high-priced land excessively fertilized a yield of 120 bushels 

 of shelled corn per acre may be just as unprofitable as a yield of 

 twenty-six bushels on land never fertilized. In the first case, 

 expensive and excessive fertilizers may swallow all profits, while 

 in the second case the yield may not be sufficient to pay for the 

 labor and machinery costs. 



Profitable Crop Production Is the Foundation of Successful 

 Farming. It is very necessary, therefore, for every farmer, if 

 he wishes to put his farming on a money-making basis, to produce 

 a large enough yield to cover all production costs and have net 

 profits besides. The net profits per acre, of course, should be as 

 large as possible if thechange in method does not reduce the number 

 of acres the farmer can raise. Increasing the yield on a given 

 soil also means increasing the expenses per acre in producing the 

 crop, though at the same time the profits may be increased. 

 Doubling the yield may not necessarily mean doubling the profits; 

 but, on the contrary, it may reduce the profits. It is not so much 

 a question of maximum yields, therefore, as it is a question of 

 maximum profits in crop production which, in a large measure, 

 determines successful farming. 



Profits Determine Fertilizer Practice. In fertilizer practice 

 and in soil improvement, the question arises, "Does it increase 

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