50 THE NEW BUSINESS OF FARMING 



the supply of both, and the soil was in better 

 tilth, or mechanical condition, because of the 

 various crops. In other words, the crops paid 

 the farmer for the privilege of adding fertility 

 to his soil. 



When a business man discovers new mach- 

 inery that will add 87% to his net profits and at 

 the same time improve the condition of his 

 plant, he promptly scraps his old machinery and 

 installs the new style. 



The rotation used at the Minnesota Farm did 

 several things. It raised the yield of wheat 

 from 17.8 bushels per acre to 26. It in- 

 creased the corn yield from 21.4 bushels to 

 50.9. It diversified crops by adding oats, hay, 

 and pasture, to corn and wheat. A further 

 profit, a by-product of the business, could have 

 been added by feeding these stuffs to live stock, 

 thus further increasing the benefit of rotation. 

 The use of labor was spread over a longer 

 period and the order of crops was so arranged 

 as to lower the cost of each. The grass seed 

 was sown with the wheat, thus one preparation 

 of the ground served for the two crops. Pas- 



