18 Bulletin 827, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



sale of unimproved land should be on easy terms, and the improve- 

 ments made by the settler should furnish a satisfactory margin of 

 security. As a matter of safety the settler should be advised as to 

 farming- methods that promise success. 



The sale of small farms, except in colonies, is a slow process for 

 the owner of large tracts, and such sales are necessarily at higher 

 prices. From the purchaser's standpoint, small farms of from 40 

 to 60 acres are not large enough for a farmer to make a living. The 

 sale of medium-sized tracts of land on reasonable terms to farmers 

 who wish to increase their operations should be encouraged. 



Lands that are not yielding enough to pay taxes at present may 

 either be turned to raising" cattle at a profit and at the same time 

 improved so they may be marketed at a fair price as they come into 

 demand for farming land, or be reforested, either by the present 

 owner or by the State or the National Government. 



The development of the land by the lumberman presents two 

 phases. It may be developed with the idea of making a permanent 

 business of farming and cattle raising, or partly developed as a 

 demonstration of its possibilities with the idea of its future sale. 

 In either case cattle raising must be considered as a business in itself 

 and given intelligent and close study, the same as any other business. 

 If the owner can not give the business this attention himself he 

 may employ a competent manager who, preferably, should have 

 a financial interest. 



Individual farms operated for the diversion of the owner may 

 well be show places, but ranches run for profit and demonstration 

 farms should be as practical as possible. The profit-and-loss column 

 of the ledger should be the principal item to show prospective buyers. 



The size of a ranch for beef-cattle production in this region must 

 necessarily be large as compared with a general farming proposi- 

 tion. The business must be large enough for the owner to get a 

 living from the operations, and that requires the raising of a con- 

 siderable number of cattle. 



The man operating less than a section of land can not depend 

 on cattle as the main farm enterprise without intensive pasture im- 

 provement or the use of other cattle range, as, under present con- 

 ditions, 600 acres of pasture will carry but 60 head of cattle. On 

 the other hand, the maximum size for a profitable cattle ranch is 

 limited by the quantity of winter feed that can be produced. It 

 must be borne in mind that the cut-over ranges do not support cattle 

 the year round and that provision must be made for feeding cattle 

 at least 3 months in winter. If farm labor can not be employed 

 profitably to produce feed enough for the cattle, winter feed will 

 have to be purchased. 



