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Show Special Training' The following from a recent number of "Student Life" is so applicable to farmers and farming conditions in many instances known to us, that we reproduce it for the consideration of Cache farmers. If It touches you, profit by it, but if it doesn't, Just consider con-sider that it wasn't meant for you and that you arc none tho worse off for having read It. Tho writer In "Student "Stu-dent Life" says: Owing to tho fact that tho great majority of farmers in Utah, today,are practicing almost thesamo methods In operating their farms as their fathers did, the farming industry, so important In this state, is suffering. Altogether too many farmers aro practicing general farming and attempting at-tempting to cover the wholo Held of agriculture Instead of selecting somo one branch of the Industry and making a specialty of it. By special farming we mean the raising of such crops as will aid directly direct-ly in furnishing a finished product for tho market. For Instance; a dairy farmer might mako a specialty of tho production of milk and butter and raise a proper rotation of alfalfa, corn, grasses and such other forago as may I bo necessary for tho proper support of tho animals. Tho great difllculty Is that tho general farmer attempts too much, lie raises grain, potatoes, hogs, sheep, horses, cattle, chickens, and all kinds of fruit, In fact everything that will grow In his section of tho country. This was alright when thcro were no railroads or when tho country was new and tho people did not know what crops could be successfully grown and had to experiment to find out. Competition Is so keen In all branches branch-es of industry that tho profit margins aro usually narrow. Tho prlco of production pro-duction must bo kept down In order to allow tho profits as wldo a margin as Is necessary to operato tho business without a loss. A specialist reduces tho cost of pro duction In many ways. He becomes an expert In his particular line and applies his energy with more certainty and force. Ho has less capital Invested In-vested In machinery and the extras which each lino requires, therefore his capital Is more available. Ho can better atlord to buy for cash those things which he does not raise than to run the risk of raising them at a loss or at the expense of some other crop. An Important matter in connection with the profit of tho crop Is tho marketing. mar-keting. Though It Is Just as Important Import-ant as tho raising, It Is a matter which Is greatly neglected. A person must study his market and the things which control It. It Is not possible to do this whole you have a number of crops to the same advantage as when you have one. Marketing lequlrcs time and the moie crops you have the more tlmo will bo spent In marketing. market-ing. Ho has the advantage of quality, qual-ity, as his crop has reached a higher degree of excellence and Is In demand on the market. A specialist becomes known by the superiority of his pro duct and gets the best price for It. It Is tho Inferior product that crowds the markets and tends to lower tho price. A person must give special attention to a crop or It Is very likely to be Inferior. Then, too, thcro Is tho waste In connection con-nection with the production. There Is always more or less that Is not marketable, mar-ketable, and tho general farmer will have more of this class of goods by reason of his having so many .crops. General farming has a tendency to make a man like a "rolling stone." This year, potatoes or somo other crop sell at a very high price and next year he spends his tlmo cultivating potatoes. pota-toes. Several others do tho same thing and It results In a Hooded market and a decline In price. There Is a great difference In profit and Income. A peison may have an Incomo of $1,000 derived from a number num-ber of sources such as tho sale of cattle, grain, hay, milk, fruit, etc., and thero may be no profit In any of them owing to the cost of production. On the other hand, an incomo of $1,000 derived from a single source, where a man has concentrated his efforts may show a very large profit A specialist keeps better track of his business and knows when ho Is making or losing, while tho general farmer is likely to carry a dead-head crop without knowing It. Success In any business depends largely upon tho management and perfection of details, and a person engaged In special farming farm-ing has a far better opportunity to takocaicof and develop tho details. Neglect of details will result In a partial par-tial or complete failure. They aro neglected at thu expense of the profits. The fact that a person has a number num-ber of crops often causes him to push them only half way but this sort of business will never succeed. Tho reason that most pcoplo practice general farming Is the Idea that some crop Is apt to fail and they are sure of ono crop succeeding. This idea is the causo of a great many failures. It shows a weakness and lack of faith. In tho majority of cases men are to blame for the falluro of a crop. It may bo through tho lack of will power or energy but It Is very often through lack of knowledge. Energy without knowledge is like steam escaping Into tho air. Specialization has been ono of tho prominent features In tho rapid development of all professions and sciences. If doctors had continued to cover tho wholo Held of medicine, tho medical profession would nover havo developed to Its present stage. The same Is true of all arts and sciences and it is reasonable to suppose sup-pose that agriculture would havo developed much moro rapidly If specialization had been Incorporated Into It earlier in Its history. |