28 BULLETIN 694, U. S: DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
CASH CROPS. a 
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 sell 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 live 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 WEES 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, and 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 thefarm. The indications 
