438 THE BUSINESS OF FARMING 



Equipping the Farm. Investment in equipment is usually 

 too small in proportion to the investment in land itself. Doubtless 

 this has originated from the speculative spirit. More land was 

 purchased than was needed because of the prospective rise in 

 price. If the available capital be taken as 100 per cent, then less 

 than 50 per cent should be invested in the land. Forty-five per 

 cent, may be invested in buildings, fences, roads, livestock, imple- 

 ments and tools. This would leave 5 per cent as working capital, 

 which is indeed small enough. 



Type of Farm. There are a number of features which will 

 govern the type of farming to be followed: (1) Climate; (2) 

 character and fertility of the soil; (3) character of the roads and 

 distances to market; (4) kind of market available; (5) the original 

 cost of the land as a relation to intensive or extensive farming; (6) 

 the amount of working capital available for annual operations; 

 (7) the kind and cost of labor available; (8) the type of farming 

 practiced in the neighborhood; (9) such enemies as weeds, insects 

 and plant diseases. 



Plan of the Farm. When an old farm is purchased, it is 

 seldom planned exactly to suit the needs of the purchaser. It will 

 need replanning, and before the plan is made considerable study- 

 ing will have to be done (Figs. 301 and 302). As all parts of the 

 farm are not alike in fertility, and as the crops that have been 

 grown on different parts will leave the fields in different conditions, 

 a gradual transformation from the old plan to the new will usually 

 be necessary. Of course the farmstead cannot be moved; the 

 orchard and similar permanent features remain about as they were. 



In the new plan of any farm there are a number of things to be 

 considered: (1) The accessibility of the farmstead from all fields 

 or parts of the farm. Have the most distant fields used for crops 

 that will require the least travelling back and forth. (2) Have 

 the fields of such size and shape as to make the work most eco- 

 nomical. The larger each field is, the better, and the fewer number 

 of fields there are, the better, providing systematic rotations can 

 be maintained. (3) Lay out the fields so that the plowing may be 

 done lengthwise, and may also suit the topography of the slope, 

 and prevent seasonal erosion. (4) Locate the buildings not too 

 far distant from the public highway. (5) Suit the new plan of the 

 farm to make the changes from the old plan as inexpensive as 

 possible. If the fences are poor and will need rebuilding, or if for 

 other reasons extreme changes are not objectionable, the new plan 



