WILL MORE FORAGE PAY? 51 



FARM I 



Farm /, Alleghany County, N. C, is a mountain farm of 206 acres, 

 only 123 acres of which is cropland and open pasture. (See table 11 

 for break-down of land use.) The open land is about equally divided 

 between Ashe and Porters soil types. As organized, the cropland 

 has slopes ranging from 2 to 8 percent; the pasture goes from about 

 10 to 30 percent ; and the 77 acres of woodland are generally steeper 

 than 30 percent. 



What has happened on farm I since the present operator took over in 

 193S? Nine acres of steep cropland were converted to pasture or 

 other use. Acreage of corn was cut in half; acreage of hay almost 

 tripled. The number of cattle and calves has increased nearly three 

 times. The former plan had 71 acres of permanent pasture and 13 

 head of cattle and calves. The present system has 76 acres of open 

 pasture and 35 head of cattle and calves. 



Before 1938 no lime or phosphate had been used on farm I. Per- 

 manent pastures were in poor condition and rampant with briars and 

 other undesirable growth. Hay was of low quality. All the open laud 

 has now been limed and phosphated — a total of 4 tons of lime and 400 

 pounds of phosphate per acre having been applied in the 10-year period. 

 Lime, fertilizer, and seeds cost $2.57 per acre of open land a year. 

 (Seep. 48.) 



From 11 acres of mixed grasses producing 8 tons of low-quality hay 

 in 1940, farmer I went to 18 acres of better quality grass-legume hay 

 producing 18 tons, plus 8 acres of alfalfa producing 24 tons, plus 5 

 acres of small grains cut for hay. The permanent pastures produce 

 considerably more forage now and the soil is better protected. 



Iu 1940, under the former plan, farm I produced a net cash income 

 of $361, which is approximately the amount that would be realized 

 under a medium-price level and half what a high-price level would 

 bring in (table 11). With the present plan farm I had an average net 

 cash income of $4,722 for 1945-47. Under a medium-price level this 

 figure would drop to $2,640, but on a high-price level it would amount 

 to about $3,500. These data suggest that the conversion paid well. In 

 this case conversion was primarily one of liming, fertilizing, and re- 

 seeding permanent pastures; increasing acreage and kinds of hay and 

 fertilizing the hay crop; and increasing the number of dairy cows. 

 The total investment went up from $8,458 under the former plan to 

 $20,435 under the present plan, table 11 indicating the relative im- 

 portance of different changes in investment. 



farm j 



Farm -/, Nottoway County, Va., is a dairy farm with 307 acres of 

 open land. (See table 11 for break-down of major land use.) With 

 the former plan only 218 acres were cropland and open pasture in 

 1941. An additional 89 acres were cleared or included with a small 

 tract bought in 1947. 



Changes on farm J include increasing cropland from 58 to 77 acres: 

 pasture from 122 to 230 acres; milk cows from 26 to 42: and total in- 

 vestment from $20,000 to $40,000. Acreage of corn, largely for silage, 

 was decreased from 23 to 17 acres. Acreage of hay went up from 35 

 to 50 acres and production from 38 to 82 tons, with a large part of the 



