THE CROPPING SYSTEM 137 



tion. Each factor in the complex must be pains- 

 takingly considered and the whole system on 

 which the operation of the farm rests must be 

 studied to determine where it is out of har- 

 mony. 



Sometimes the crop rotation is well suited to 

 the soil and the system of farming, but the man- 

 ner of feeding is faulty, or the stock itself may 

 be unsuited to the purpose for which it is main- 

 tained. The part played by each factor must 

 be carefully considered in order that an opera- 

 tion may be conducted at high efficiency. 



One of the most serious handicaps to most 

 agricultural operations is the fluctuating labor 

 requirement. If agriculture could be adjusted 

 so as to profitably employ a constant labor sup- 

 ply throughout the year there would be far less 

 difficulty in maintaining a farm labor supply, 

 but so long as farm labor is engaged for seven 

 or eight months instead of for twelve months 

 there will be farm labor problems. The great 

 number of unemployed in the cities is cited as 

 an economic evil, but in commenting upon the 

 uneven distribution of immigrants between the 

 farm and city one authority says, " They know 

 too much to go to the country." If the labor 

 supply is the great agricultural problem of the 

 age, as it is conceded to be, it is evident that 



