The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-12-12

sideratlon OF the prudent, thoughtful
farmer: the balancing of accounts, and
the bearing of the lessons learned, upon
future operations.
BUSINESS VIEW OF MATTERS.
How do expenditures and receipts
compare? We fear comparatively few
of our readers can answer that question.
If every one could, how quickly would
reform begin. Farmers frequently say
''they are making no money!" but in
their secret councils they think otherwise
not knowing exactly the state of the
case, they hope they are making a little.
No man in his senses is willing to work
hard a whole year for nothing-he must
hope either for present or prospective
gain. True, very few in any of the avo-
cations of life are making much just now,
and the farmer may comfort himself with
the reflection that he has a plenty of
company. But such uncertain, doubtful
conclusions ought not to satisfy sensi-
BILE mamie should know with absolute
certainty whether the policy he is pursu-
ing is a wise or paying one--and we
take this fitting occasion to urge again
upon our readers the very great impor-
tance of keeping books, with as much
care as the merchant or the manufacturer
does. A farmer should keep an account
with every one of his crops, and with
every one of his fields. In no other way
can he learn whether this or that crop
pays, or this or that field warrants the
expense of cultivation. We are thor
oughly satisfied that on very great
many farms, the cultivation of some poor
fields absorbs all the profits from the
richer and better portions.
AT the beginning of the year settle as
near as can be, the cost per day of each
hand on the place, of mule and plough,
wagon and team, and each night enter in
a book lblank ones made especially for
this can be hadl the cost of LABOR, &C.,
snent on each field. In like manner,
effef daily the cost of labor spent on
corn crop, cotton, &c. Keep also an ac-
count of general expenses, such as fcnc-
ing, and at the end of the year divide
this out among the different crops in
proportion to the expenditures on each.
Do the same with the interest on capital
invested in farm, and taxes on the whole,
the uncutivated and unused portions Of
the farm as we'll as that planted, also
with the wear and tear of stock, wagons,
implements, &c. The farmers personal
supervision and care, ought certainly to
be worth rs much as house rent, frewood
and the usual perquisites of farm-an
overseer could not be hired for these
alone, be would demand them and a
salary additional We simplify the ac-
count then by letting these~thipgs offset
each -S6JW>aSitih such record at
the end of the year, farmer could tell
pretty we'll what he was doing-whether
making money or not-what crops and
what fields paid and what did not-what
kind of fertilizing and cultivating gave
best returns. What a flood of light
would be thrown upon all the operations
of the farm by half hours work each
night, that time being ample to make all
the necessary records. Would not the
valuable knowledge gained be worth that
little trouble? Don't say ! am not a
book-keeper and cannot do it-any one
without training or experience in the
matter, can do what we have suggested !;
it is perfectly simple and perfectly easy.
One of your boys or girls, or even the
good wife, would make the records if you
were tired. Try it next year and learn
for yourselves how easy it is.
LESSONS OF 1878.
Have you learned anything additional
about your business from the experiments
and experience of the year just closing,
or have you moved along in the same
old grooves and ruts? Have you OBJ
served and marked points all along its
course which you could improve upon
during the coming year? Have you
studied out a better rotation of crops
one that will preserve and enrich your
land, and at the same tine give remune-
rating crops? Have you closely studied
the defects in your ploughs and manner
of ploughing, so that next year you will
be able to do more and better work, with
less number Of burrows? Have you
made any progress in finding out what
fertilizers, whether commercial or COM
posts, or combinations of these, pay best
on your lands and crops? Have you
noted any difference in results, of deep or
shallow culture, on different soils and
crops, and at different stages of their
growth? These arc a few only of the
questions which might be asked, and to
which the observing, rejecting farmer
ought to be able to give more or less def
mite answers. At present the margin of
profits is very small, and it is only by
close calculation and the incest manage
ment that money can be made. The
North is agitated about making hours
a laboring day. At the South Sambo
practically settled that question long ago,
and the two great problems in Southern
farming now are, how to supplement
labor by improved implements, machines
and methods, and how to enrich the soil
so as to produce maximum crops with
the minimum labor which Sambo gives.
Those are the leading problems. The
next is how to decrease the money crops.
We sell almost everything we make, and
buy almost everything we need-whereas
we ought to make almost everything we
need, and buy almost nothing. The
present system of cultivating money
crops almost exclusively, places us at the
mercy of speculators and middlemen
cutting down the money crops to small
est dimensions would restore us again to
the old time independence. What is to
prevent farmer from raising all the
horses and mules he needs-all the pork
beef, mutton, poultry, butter and eggs
all the wheat, corn, potatoes, syrup. tea
fruits and vegetables he needs? Wha!
necessity for him to buy axe helves and
hoe helves, and cradles and plough stock:
and handles. a little work on rainy
days, and little sound economy about
little matters, would help us amazingly
We are poor folks-made poor in the
first instance, not by laziness, but by the
noble impulses of patriotic self-sacriiicc
and we need not be ashamed, but rather
proud, of it; let us therefore come dowr
to it, and act accordingly. "a man is 6
man for all that" The wearer of home
spun, out of debt, has nothing to envy
him who, clothed in purple and fine liner
l,nI