e farm buildings. There is no
necessary relation between a good site for a farm dwelling and a
suitable location for an orchard. It happens, therefore, that family
orchards, taken as a whole, are not grown under as favorable
conditions as are commercial orchards. This is a sufficient reason in
itself, even if the other reasons above mentioned did not exist, why
the commercial orchard must, in time, supplant these accidental
plantings.

ADVANTAGES OF HORTICULTURE

The advantages of this intensive form of agriculture as compared with
the more extensive forms discussed in Chapter XII may be stated as
follows:

(1) A large gross income per acre may be obtained. An investigation of
truck farming made some years ago indicated a gross return per acre
about 40 times as great as that obtained on an average from all forms
of agriculture.

(2) There is a large opportunity for the use of skill in raising and
preparing products for market and an equal opportunity for the
exercise of judgment in choosing the best markets.

DISADVANTAGES OF HORTICULTURE

(1) It requires considerable capital, particularly for machinery and
labor. In the investigation in truck farming above mentioned the
capital per acre invested in land, buildings, implements and teams was
eight times that in the more general forms of agriculture.

(2) The products are for the most part readily perishable, requiring
special facilities if held for any length of time.

(3) Growing out of above-mentioned fact, the market is easily
overstocked at any given point, and hence prices often fluctuate
widely.

(4) The yield is also quite variable, this class of products being
especially influenced by seasonal conditions and particularly subject
to insect attacks and fungous diseases. Since large capital is
invested in labor, the horticulturist may be involved in financial
ruin through causes which he is unable to control.

(5) The labor question, in certain forms of horticulture more than in
others, involves difficulties, among which is need of large quantities
of cheap labor for short periods of time.

CHAPTER XV

REASONS FOR ANIMAL
HUSBANDRY

Animal products in the United States nearly equal in value those of
all other farm products. Those soil supplies which constitute the food
of domestic animals are not implied. Practically