Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-01-23
AGRICULTURAL.

FARM AccnrSTs. From personal expe-
r.cace IN keeping accounts, am enabled
10 ado my testimony TO the great value Of
such nccouu and records in general bust
ness, aud IN farming particularly.
Accurate accounts, with any business,
leave no room for guesswork or doubt. II
an acre of corn costs more to- market, Or
feed, than il brings when so disposed of, Of
course n loss is sustained, and We are pre-
pared to how it, and can at any time refer
to il but il no account is kept with such
crop, VIZ cannot tell whether profit or loss
is sustained. We may take it for granted
tina, some profit is :esllzod, for We have re-
Anzsd profit in the gross from our farm
for the year. What crops raised, OF stock
kept, produced this profit, We cannot tell ;
and whether any gave us 10 profit, or NJ,
actual loss, we do not know-so Of al pro-
ductions, stock, etC.
frequently, il is Of peculiar advantage 10
know not Only The gross proceeds from the
TARA, but also Of particular fields, varieties
Of crnps, stock, etc. An account kept wiil
enable IA TO determine this with accuracy
We have il in condensed form, the amount,
kind aud yalne of manure applied when
plowca, AMI how many times variety aud
cost Of seed aud the amount and cost OF
labor N growing, preparing ard marketing.
or storing the crop, and The value 81 1t
stored, o. the proceeds !, brought II sold.
We now find the difference between the
cost Of producing and lis present value, aud
this difference is the profit or loss. which
- entered under It's appropriate head of
proft--if Il te valued more than the cost of
producing. after charging it the interest and
taxes on the land in addition to the above
or loss if the contrary.
In similar way. an account is kept with
all stock. fields and products. These pro.
ductions and pricss can be made Of great
value. rs references in future operations:
for we can see what fertilizers were applied
when piowed and plant d, mode Of culture.
and. in short, a condensed history Of the
crop from first 70 last In this way, We
are o. tabled 10 avoid any errors in the past,
and improve on successes to very much
greater extent than in any other way.
Another item OF farm expenses is. family
and miscellaneous. Oftcntimes these ex-
penses eat up all or more than the whole in
come of the farm. and at the end Of the year
wonder is expressed Why our fern has run
us in debt! Nov, a careful account kept
will teach NJ to be careful Of our expenses
we shall know Just where every cent Of in.
come goes, and the profit or pleasure j.
brings
The accumulation Of wealth does not
consist in the amount ef income received.
bit rather in the amount saved: therefore.
it is necessary to look after the small item,
Of expense, for usually it 10 to these that sc
must look for an explanation of our success
or non-success To know what il costs IL
carry on the farm we must charge il with
all its expenses for labor, deterioration Of
tools, interest, Improvements, etc and TO
find the profit, credit il with all its products
together with any betterments or improve
ments in value.
To determine family expenses, fair allow
ance should be made for rent. cash value 4,
the farm Of all produce raised and consumed.
together with s,ore-hills, tic. These e..
penses, added TO his miscellaneous ones.
VIZ show for what the income is expended
sao Pom this account he can see where he
sn cur'aii expenses, OF, il necessary, be
me keeping OF accounts is n great s,e,
~. - ,o"s''s Improved farming; for
'"e '''"er Is ma -urally encouraged IN ha
."o' injury particular AMI farm better In,
he otherwise would. lie will cautiou.,v -.
som experiments, which he has l,prs3 -
90, and been prevented from lear ,h..
you'd rot pay; now he will know to a Ger.
tainty. This Is often done to satisfy cur,-
osity, and determine. so that there will +.
no possible doub', After finding the facts
il favorable, he goes more extensively into
improved farming and his doubling neigh
Dor, Who travels in the ruts, seeing his suc-
cesses, is led to try lis hand. Mind Won.
this is not shook farming" or he would
spurn il. Thus tie frs. not only bensti,s
himself. bUt is the means Of indu ling his
neighbOr to higher farming, and the whole
community is bettered. not only peculiarly,
but also intellectually.
The mere thought, 10 farmers, OF keen
ing farm account. has been, and il, 10 a
too common extent. . bugbsar-they being
afraid Of the trouble and time--and fear
they should not get things right; bat il is
but simple affair: the more simple it can
he made and be complete tbs better, end
one, think, which, il commenced, would
~ oe tightly abandoned. E = they would
."s 'ns. 1t afforded them more pleasure
IN ana p'nni than enough TO compensate for
." uouole, ETC. Ii The farmer have scn,
osugatefs sonewhat advanced. AZ school
o. esnsswiss. they vii take pleeause e ~.