28 BULLETIN 941, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Peaches. — Large areas of this region were set to peaches a few 

 years ago. The crop was found to be very unreliable because of the 

 late spring frosts and freezes, and winter freezing and lack of proper 

 care have killed out many of the orchards. 



Small fruit. — The production of strawberries and other small 

 fruits which farmers reported very profitable in certain areas in the 

 western part of the State, when undertaken on a small scale, oan be 

 commercially profitable only when undertaken in a community 

 where there are sufficient growers to be able to club together and 

 ship in carload quantities or where there is a local demand for the 

 crop. 



LIVE-STOCK MANAGEMENT. 



The principal factors operating to make live-stock production the 

 main industry in the region are: (1) Transportation facilities are 

 such that, generally speaking, they preclude the marketing of 

 products which are bulky or perishable; (2) the soils of the region 

 are predominantly thin and, owing to the rock content, difficult to 

 cultivate, and quickly deteriorate under continuous grain farming; 

 (3) there is a large amount of wild land which, without cost to the 

 operators, furnishes a varying amount of pasture to live stock of all 

 classes; (4) the lands are adapted to the growing of grasses, and 

 very good improved pastures can be made out of land which is 

 apparently valueless for other purposes; and, (5) a system of farm- 

 ing with live-stock production as its base, if properly carried out, 

 enables the operators to maintain and improve the quality of the 

 cultivated land and furnishes a product which is easily marketed. 



All ordinary classes of live stock do well in the region, and at present 

 all are being produced. The raising of cattle is the oldest and most 

 extensively developed branch of the industry. However, a large 

 number of hogs, horses and mules, sheep and goats, and chickens, 

 are raised in the territory. The desirability of not restricting the 

 source of income to one enterprise on the farm has already been 

 pointed out, and examples of individual farms present the favorable 

 results obtained by combining a number of live-stock enterprises. 

 Some of the farms received revenue from all classes of live stock 

 mentioned, and the majority had three or more live-stock enterprises. 



As to the combination of live-stock enterprises that will be most 

 profitable on any given farm, local conditions must determine, and 

 to a certain degree the inclination of the operator himself. The 

 scheme of farming, however, should be such as to produce on the 

 farm all feed needed by the live stock maintained and raised, and 

 the farmer should strive constantly to improve the grade of the live 

 stock kept. The higher the grade of live stock raised, the greater will 

 be the returns from the feed consumed, under economic management. 



