Causes of Waste 



E. The Use of Artificials. 



The use of artificial manure is still little 

 understood by the average farmer, and far 

 less is applied per acre than in the majority 

 of continental countries. Ready mixed 

 manures are still largely used by our farmers 

 — these are always expensive and sometimes 

 actually harmful. The farmer should buy 

 his chemicals and make his own mixture. 



E. Fallow and Poor Crops. 



Bare fallow, save when absolutely neces- 

 sary, is a cause of waste. Uncultivated 

 headlands, uncleaned ditches, and hedgerows 

 growing weeds, are causes of loss which 

 are all too frequent. But most serious is 

 the loss from poor crops, half crops of seeds, 

 roots, corn — crops that are poor not because 

 the land is inherently bad or the weather 

 unduly hostile, but because the cultivation 

 has been indifferent. The good farmer next 

 door has good crops on similar soil. There 

 is no doubt that turnips play too large 

 a part in the farm cropping, and attempts 

 are frequently made to grow them where 

 the conditions are unsatisfactory, hence one 



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