12 
r.ULLETIX 1271, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
CROPPING SYSTEM AND ROTATION 
Corn is the principal crop grown in the area and the cropping 
system is built around it. Although no definite rotation is followed, 
the usual practice is to follow small grain with corn, and to keep the 
same land in corn for two years in succession. Fifty-four per cent 
of corn followed small grain, 34 per cent followed corn, and 12 per 
cent followed a grass crop during the three years. There was an 
increasing use of grassland for corn. In 1921 and 1922 three times 
as large a percentage of corn was planted on sod land as in 1920. 
The oats and barley crops usually follow corn. In 1922, 95 per cent 
of the oats acreage followed corn. This practice is increasing; only 
76 per cent followed corn in 1921 and 67 per cent in 1920. Rye fol- 
lows other small grain, because the corn crop is not harvested in time 
to seed the rye. Flax is grown on wild-hay or pasture land that has 
just been broken up. It is the first crop on new breaking, but is sel- 
dom grown on land that has been previously cultivated. 
DESCRIPTION OF LIVESTOCK 
The number and kinds of livestock on the farms studied are shown 
in Table 4. A comparison is also made between these farms and the 
average for all farms in the two counties. The farms studied are 
somewhat more heavily stocked than the average farms of these 
counties. 
Table 4. — Number of head of livestock per farm for the farms studied and for all 
farms in Cottonwood and, Jackson Counties 
Kind of stock 
WOrk horses 
Colts 
Cows 
Other cattle. 
Bwine 
Poultry 
Sheep 
Farms 
studied * 
Farms 
Number per farm reporting 
Head 
reporting 
Average 
Maxi- 
mum 
Mini- 
mum 
all farms 
65 
404 
6.2 
10.9 
3.4 
6.2 
43 
110 
2.6 
7.7 
0.1 
1.7 
65 
684 
10.5 
29.8 
3.1 
10.5 
65 
1,292 
19.9 
74.2 
2,9 
19.9 
65 
2,360 
36.3 
128.4 
9.1 
36.3 
65 
8,07S 
124 
300 
25 
124 
28 
711 
25. \ 
59.3 
1.7 
<\ 1 
All 
farms. * 
Cotton- 
wood and 
Jackson 
Counties 
average 
per farm 
1.5 
9.6 
13.4 
30.0 
112 
r '>r 65 farm j i L922, inclusive. 
'Data from census taken as of Jan. I, L920. 
Horses are the principal source of motive power on the Windom 
fin-ins. Two or three farms used tractors each year; those averaged 
1 L9 hours of field work and L2 hours of bell work' per year. One farm 
in 1921 and two farms in L922 used an anto truck for some hauling. 
Practically everyfarm lias an automobile that is used for light haul- 
ing, such as delivering; cream or purchasing supplies. Otherwise all 
field and hauling work is done by horses. Those horses are practically 
all of common-grade stock, averaging around 1,300 and 1,400 pounds 
in weight . 
A few coli - are raised on most of the farms, largely for maintaining 
the work-horse enterprise. Any surplus over this need is sold. 
I -ually the colta are Dot sold, until after thev have been broken and 
