Small Farming as a Preparation for Farm Management
Large farms and estates employ crews of men and utilize expensive equipment. They especially require the services of well-trained and reliable farm managers, capable of selecting practical foremen and laborers, and of keeping well in hand the details of all farm processes necessary to economical management. But good management is essential also on small farms, operated by owners or tenants, as well as on large estates. The owner, and generally the tenant as well, are their own managers, and managing a small farm well is one way of learning the profession of the farm manager. The small farmer as well as the large must consider well the location, climate, soil, lay of land, water supply, and other features of his farm, so as to determine the most suitable type of farming under existing conditions. He, as well as the large farmer, must keep accounts, organize the farming operations in proper sequence, determine upon cropping, direct the preparation of soil, fertilizing, seeding, cultivating, harvesting, and all the minor details of live stock, breeding, raising, and feeding, do the buying as well as the marketing of crops, live stock, and live-stock products.