American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-12-04
Agriculture Commercially Considered.

Agriculture Commercially Considered.
In order to attain q high degree OF
excellence in agriculture, it is not suf1i-
cient to know how to raise good crops
to herd good stock and make good beef
and butter. Skillful production is one
thing, skill in buying and selling is
quite another thing, and it is for the
want of this commercial skill that so
many farmers just scrub along and
make the ends meet, but never have
good bank account. The great ma ority
are satisfied if the sales of their prod
ucts are sufficient to furnish groceries,
dry goods and other supplies for their
taxes. This is simply saying that most
farmers, while they are industrious
workers, faithful to their families, and
good, honest men, are deficient as mer-
chants. They do not study the mar
kets, and consequently do not buy and
sell to the best advantage. They are
proverbially poor accountants, and con-
sequently do not know how the in
comes and outgoes compare. They
take no yearly account of stock, and
therefore can't tell definitely whether
they are progressing or retrograding.
They guess they are holding their own,
but many a man who guesses that he is
making buckle and strap meet is allow
ing his expenses to exceed his income.
and is slowly drifting into bankruptcy.
The English farmer excels the Yankee
in this regard. Compelled as he is to
pay his rent punctually every quarter,
he is also compelled to calculate closely
the income from his crops, to keep &C
count of all expenditures, and to look
sharp at all pecuniary results. Agri-
culture in the old world is much more a
commercial pursuit than it is here. The
large farmer there attends the market
fairs, and learns to scrutiniZe prices
both in buying and selling. We know
that it is said that the producer must
not be Il merchant, that he must trust
all sales to middlemen, and that all he
has to do is to furnish a good article,
and the price will take care of itself.
There is just enough truth in this to
make it plausible, but it is sophistry,
not philosophy. The nearer the pro-
Queer can get to the consumer, the bet
ter for both. Cheats and commissions
will certainly be diminished, and while
the profits of the producer are increas-
ed. he is also stimulated to the produce
ton of superior article, as he knows
he will be held responsible for all de-
If his goods are sold to merchant, the
consumer seldom knows who the pro-
ducer is, and the mIldleman stands be-
tween the two, pocketing the credit and
warding off the blame. There is much
truth in the old maxim, "every man to
his trade" but it is part of the trade of
a farmer to sell his own produce, and
he may as well sell to the consumer as
to the merchant. Other things being
equal, he will prove by far the most
successful farmer who keeps his books
business-fashion, and understands the
rules of commerce. Colman, in his
European Agriculture, speaks of dis
tinguished Englishman, having immense
estates, who had become embarrassed
in his pecuniary affairs, from ignorance
of bookkeeping rather than lack of
kill as farm manager. He therefore
e,ployed an expert accountant to teach
hi the laws of trade and the art of
keefng accounts. Having acquired
TINS Nowledgs, he was enabled to bring
orderslt of confusion, and relieve him
sell froLaH embarrassment.
Inc met successful farmers of my
ac4ualntaIAe are those who have what
Is commong called business talent;
mat Is, the sblity to buy and sell to
good advantage. and to keep intelligi-
BILE and accurate lecords of all their
transactions. IndMtry and frugality
are generally reckond as the corner
stones of agricultural prosperity, but
multitudes of farmers are industrious
and frugal, and. one may add, are skill
full agriculturists. who make little head
way in accommodating property. These
sometimes wonder how their neghbors,
who do not work so hard, and often
| FOL 10 hn1 fr, r;.;t q
trade, still make the most money. The
secret is that their neighbors are off not
so much for a holiday as for good
trade. They are on the lookout when
they can sell span of horses, or buy
yoke OF steers, to best advantage. They
may work with their hands less, but
they work with their brains more than
the plodding, but less successful farm
ers. This trading propensity has its
limits. We would not have the hus-
bandman degenerate into horse
jockey, neither would we have him
drive too sharp bargain. The high
toned commercial law of trade is that
both buyer and seller shall be benefited
By the bargain. Madame Roland once
said: al am always sorry when 1 hear
that man has made a good bargain.
because know that the other party has
essarily true. The owner of q farm
may be SO circumstanced as to be
greatly benefited by its sale, and SO far
from supposing that the purchaser has
made poor bargain, the presumption
is that he has made a good one, or he
would not have purchased. A bargain
is voluntary thing, requiring the con-
sent of both parties at least, and both
must be benefited or it cannot be emit
tied to the epithet of good.
The great drawback to the COM
mercial operations of farmers is that
they have no Board of Trade, no unity
of action, all operating independently.
and thus each being the competitor of
the other. If one offers corn at sixty
cents per bushel. his neighbor must sell
at the same price. the merchant always
claiming the lowest as the ruling rate.
The Club and Grange furnish some
remedy for this state of things, but the
current market reports, if properly
studied, would prove a better remedy,
as they would post farmers as to the
values in the great central markets.
Merchants look at their reports as soon
as the paper comes into their hands,
but farmers study the current prices
very little, and too many are destitute
ofR paper which contains them. We
do not advise farmers to become mer-
chants. but it would be greatly to their
advantage if their business were con-
Quoted more on mercantile principles.
Cor. Country Gentleman.
Our Recipe for Curing Meat