Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 February 1912 — EARNING CAPACITY OF LAND [ARTICLE]

EARNING CAPACITY OF LAND

Live Stock arid Grain Bring About „ Twice a« Much Now as They Did Ten Years Ago.

(By.S._C MILLER)

Farmers a* well as their financial friends in town are vitally interested in the earhing capacity, of land. ’l’here is more money to be made In farming today than there has been in the past because of permanent high prices for produce and an improvement in transportation facilities. Live stock and grain bring just about twice as much now as they did ten years ago. The certainty that prices will remain high comes from the rapid’ growth of towns and pities. The non-producing, oonsumlng element is Increasing much faster than the class tilling the soil. But what is the earning capacity of . land? A farm of 100 acres can be managed so as to maintain 100 hogs, a dairy of 20 cows, half a dozen brood mares, a large poultry yard, a garden, an orchard and an apiary. An Income of $3,000 on a total expense for wages and family maintenance of $1,600 would be a fair estimate. Allowing SSOO more as interest on the investment, there remains a net profit of SI,OOO. Out of the $1,500 expense fund the farmer who is operating on business principles will allow himself and family SSOO as wages. He must consider that he owes himself as much as he would any other man for a like amount of work, and his wife is entitldfi to her share in cash. This would mean intensive, systematic, business-like fanning, but the figures are conservative, and any intelligent person can attain these results if such a plan is adopted. By going in larger on hogs and poultry the net earnings might he increased considerably and the expenses lessened. A dairy requires a comparatively large area of land. It would pay to still further divert sify by the productions of beans, onions and like crops, for which there always is a good caßh market. It is the single crop which makes the oldfashioned fanner so near a failure. Theoretically a hundred acres of corn or wheat will yield a lot of money, but as a matter of fact this kind of farming will bring a man pretty close to the poorhouse.