New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-02-05

market from which different indiyid-
nails would be compelled to purchase,
and the clothing Of q family costs as
much IN proportion. An intelligent
and enterprising farmer.in Illinois, 0c-
cupYing q small farm, once said to us
in reply to the question, how much
he made the previous year, that he
made twelve hundred dollars. It was
q pretty large sum for small farm,
and consid ering, too, that the man had
q very large family. Upon seeking in
formation, the explanation was made
that he reckoned his house rent, table
expenses and clothing at a thousand
dollars, which added to two hundred
actual net profits made the sum of
twelve hundred.
This is evidently the proper way to
estimate income, although living ex-
penses cannot be construed as net prof
its. 1t is otherwise, however, with
money invested in improvements.
Take for instance an actual cash bal
ance, after deducting usual expenses,
of five hundred dollars, as represent
ing the net profits of the farm, if no
improvements had been made. No
one could question the character of
that surplus under such circumstances.
1t would be net profit. But suppose
that during the year barn had been
erected on the farm, and it was neccs-
sary to use that five hundred dollars in
paying for that, what would be the
state of the balance Sheet then? It
would show just as clearly surplus
on the credit side as it would if the
money was in bank. Indeed, five hum
dred dollars would be, under ordinary
circumstances, a greater profit in q
needed barn than it would be in cash,
for it is not at all improbable that the
building would make the farm worth
more than five hundred dollars addi-
tional. vs.
We make these suggestions simply
for the purpose of encouraging a more
hopeful feeling among farmers who are
engaged in the commendable work of
making Improvements on their farms.
Occasionally farmers fail to improve,
to their detriment and to the dctriment
of the community, because tley do not
look at it in this light, which is the only
proper view to take of it. Those OF us
who arc acquainted with the wrctched
condition of many farms in the older
portions of the country, and have .
pclde il tie ntw West, cherish Il very
natural desire to see q steady progress
in farm improvement, until everyone
of our Western farms shall have
REACHED perfection. Our development
should be symmetrical. We want good
houses, good barns and good fences.
Every farm should have them in time.
We Go not want to initiate portions of
New Jersey, where the farm houses are
perfectly elegant and the barns but
simple apologies, nor yet to initiate
parts OF Pennsylvania, where the barns
are model structures of the kind, and
the houses nothing. We need in the
first place to remember that every farm
should have a model barn as soon as it
is possible for its owner to erect one,
ana that the farmer and his family
should have just as good and comfort
able s, house as anybody has; and in
the second place that such things add
to the real value of the farm, and that
consequently the money expended in
their erection is not thrown away, but
is net profit ..
1t is web in this connection to say
that during the lull of business and the
of the times, the mind could
be greatly c1mforted by being drawn
from constantly dwelling upon the
gloom, If farmers would busy them
selves in making such improvements
on their farms as cost little except the
time in making them. There are many
things that mi ght be done during the
winter to improve the looks and useful
ness Of the farm, and when good times
d9 dawn, such farmer will find that
hi has enriched himself very material
ly without scarcely knowing how he did
it Weste3u R7r0l