244 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



1908, pages 351 to 366. It gives a general discussion of practically all 

 the types of farming found in the United States, and suggestions are 

 made about those types best suited to beginners. There is also some 

 discussion of the amount of equipment required. 



One important consideration, which is not brought out in the 

 article referred to, is that, if in a community the farmers generally 

 buy a commodity they can produce, the price of that commodity 

 will be high and its production profitable. A conspicuous example 

 is found in the tobacco and cotton growing regions, where the farm- 

 ers usually buy their hay. This hay is produced in the North, and 

 the high freight rate on so bulky a commodity causes it to be high 

 priced. Occasionally one finds in those regions a farmer who devotes 

 most of his energies to the production of hay. Such farmers usually 

 make more money than their neighbors who buy hay. In fact, hay 

 growing is a fairly simple type of farming that is usually profitable, 

 and there are extensive regions in the United States where hay grow- 

 ing is the best type of farming for the beginner, provided he has 

 capital enough to begin on a considerable scale. The principal diffi- 

 culties met with in this type of farming are that considerable 

 equipment is required and a considerable area of land is neces- 

 sary from which to secure an adequate income for a farm family. 

 The curing of hay, so as to be able to put on the market a good quality 

 of this product, is also something which can not be learned entirely 

 from books, but requires considerable experience for its successful 

 conduct. On the other hand, the hay crop is fairly certain if the 

 right crops are chosen, and if large yields are obtained the returns 

 are good. 



SOURCES OF INFORMATION. 



Farming requires not only experience but a great deal of detailed 

 knowledge of many things. For instance, one must be able to judge 

 when the soil is in condition to be plowed or tilled. This is especially 

 the case on heavy soils. If a clay soil is handled while it is wet and 

 dry weather supervenes, the soil becomes baked into hard clods, which 

 rain alone can pulverize. On the other hand, if it is plowed when 

 it is too dry, a clay soil breaks up into large lumps, on which it is of 

 little use to plant any kind of crop. But if the plowing be done when 

 the soil is of a proper consistency, clay soils pulverize readily and the 

 subsequent tillage operations are simple. On sandy soils one doers not 

 need to give so much attention to the condition of the soil for plowing 

 or tilling, though even on this class of soils some experience in soil 

 management is necessary in order to secure the best results. 



The farmer must also understand how to maintain the fertility of 

 the soil ; hence he must have a knowledge of fertilizers, of manures, 

 of the effect of lime, etc. He must also know the nature of many 



