DIVERSIFIED AMD SPECIALIZED FARMING 119 



combination of late potatoes and winter apples is very 

 unusual. Of course, a small acreage of each would re- 

 quire much the same labor as a larger acreage of one, but 

 this requires double equipment and has many other dis- 

 advantages. 



89. Distribution of labor on beef cattle and sheep 

 and hogs. None of the meat-producing animals re- 

 quires much work. This is one reason why the margin 

 of profit is so close on such animals. If one does not feed 

 very skillfully, he has no other means of making up for the 

 mistake. 



Beef cattle interfere very little with farm work. During 

 the summer they are at pasture, and if the water supply 

 is convenient, they require very little attention. 



Sheep require most attention at lambing time. This 

 sometimes interferes with spring work, but usually is 

 early enough so as to cause little trouble. Sheep shearing 

 conflicts with spring work, but is a short job if only a few 

 sheep are kept. If many are kept extra shearers are 

 usually hired. Sheep interfere with crops so much less 

 than dairying does that many farmers who have highly 

 profitable crops keep sheep when cows would pay much 

 better, if they did not interfere with crop growing. Winter 

 dairying does not interfere quite so much, but, in general, 

 sheep or winter feeding interfere with crops less than 

 dairying does. If the region has profitable crops, the com- 

 bination of sheep and crops may pay better than cows 

 and crops, because cows limit the crops that can be grown. 

 But if crops do not pay very well, the combination of cows 

 and crops is usually better than sheep and crops. 



Hogs require relatively little attention, except when the 

 pigs are coming. The spring pigs sometimes interfere 

 with spring work, and fall pigs may interfere with fall 



