32 AGRICULTURE 



selves almost bankrupt with a large cotton crop on their 

 hands. The farmer who produced several different crops 

 instead of one could not be caught in this condition. 



Fifth, diversified farming produces an income for the 

 farmer at different seasons of the year, whereas a one- 

 crop system brings in all its returns at one time, leaving 

 the remainder of the year practically without income. In 

 this case the running expenses of the home must often 

 cause the farmer to go into debt, and his crop is not in- 

 frequently mortgaged before it is harvested, and must be 

 sold even at a low price in order to meet the debt. 



Sixth, no one-crop system affords a wide enough range 

 of forage and grains to enable the farmer to raise the stock 

 which every farm should have. Successful farmers every- 

 where are coming to depend more and more on farm stock 

 as a large part of the profit from agriculture. 



Advantages from diversified farming. From these 

 facts it is easy to see some of the chief advantages of di- 

 versified farming. Through raising a variety of products 

 and thereby rotating the crops the farmer can build up 

 and renovate the soil. He can free his crops from the 

 worst dangers of insects and other enemies. He can 

 relieve himself of the danger of entire failure coming from 

 an adverse season or other conditions threatening the suc- 

 cess of one particular crop. He can become relatively 

 independent of poor market conditions affecting any one 

 crop or can secure for his farm an income that is dis- 

 tributed throughout the year so that he need not go into 

 debt for the current expenses of his farm and household. 

 Diversified farming includes the raising of a variety of stock 

 as well as a variety of crops, and thus adds to the income 

 while at the same time it reduces the danger of failure 

 through the loss of any one crop. 



