28 BULLETIN" 694, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



CASH CROPS. 



In running a farm it is not always an easy matter to determine 

 whether crops should be sold or not and, if sold, to what extent. On 

 most farms there is generally more or less shifting in practice as 

 regards the selling and the feeding of certain crops. This is espe- 

 cially noticeable in the relation between the price of corn and the 

 price of hogs. If the price of hogs is high and that of corn relatively 

 low, the greater part of the corn crop is fed, but if the opposite is true 

 farmers in general are apt to seU off most of their hogs in rather poor 

 condition and sell most of their corn crop as grain. Following the 

 market in this manner is doubtless very often carried to extremes, 

 and those who stick to the feeding of hve stock continuously usually 

 make more money in the long run than those who shift their practice 

 in this respect from year to year. Nevertheless, the moderate selling 

 of crops as a part of a general and diversified system of farming 

 should not be discouraged. 



Table VIII, page 15, under "Type of farming," indicates that of the 

 300 owner-farms studied in Lenawee County those receiving from 10 

 to even 40 per cent of their total receipts from the sale of crops were 

 the more profitable. Tables were also constructed in this connection 

 with a view to bringing out the most profitable percentage of total 

 receipts from the sale of crops, and these indicate that under normal 

 conditions and with the types of farming thus far developed here the 

 greatest profit is derived when not more than 10 per cent of total 

 receipts is derived from the sale of any one of the general farm crops. 

 The only exception to this is in the case of wheat, which apparently 

 may run as high as 20 per cent of the total crop acreage, and which 

 might be increased considerably in case of high prices of wheat, such 

 as during 1916-17. 



SPECIAL CROPS. 



There are several new crops which are either entering rapidly into 

 the farming systems of the area or are beginning to attract attention. 

 Of these the one of greatest importance and value to the section is 

 alfalfa. There are two other crops which should be considered in 

 connection with the agriculture of the county, though in only a 

 limited way. These crops are soy beans and cowpeas. 



ALFALFA. 



Alfalfa is of comparatively recent introduction in this section, but 

 already it has gained prominence on many of the best farms. Con- 

 ditions in general are favorable for further developments, an el more 

 extensive seeding of this crop is taking place each year. There is 

 not much tendency toward specializing on alfalfa to the extent of 

 making it the most important enterprise of the farm. The indications 



