The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-06-02
FARMING AS A BUSINESS.
SIistakes Made SeetIlessIy Which Swallow
Up Profits.


Mistakes Made SeedIessIy Which Swallow
Up Profits.
It is not every farmer who conducts
his farm on business principles. The
majority of them keep no accounts.
place no value upon the capital in
vested and make no comparisons ut
the end of the seasons with a view of
discovering the true state of affairs
from business point of view. As a
rule. when one comes in possession of
a farm il Is used as Il source of prOduc-
ton. but that spirit of rivalry and en-
terpriSe noticeable with those who in
vest in other directions is lacking, and
in that respect the farmer is behind the
age, for unless he learns to value time,
labor, capital and products he will al
WAYS be ut sea and unable to arrive at
definite conclusions or results. Bust
ness men are very careful how they in
vest. They do nothing blindly, but
carefully calculate the cost of eacn
venture, and endeavor to solve the re-
suits or the future in advance. They
do not pursue the same channels in
every case. but willingly drop those en-
terprises that are Improbable in order
to give preference to those that seem
more assuring. Every item of theirun-
dertakings is carefully noted. and q
strict and accurate system of book
keeping enables them to avoid loss and
reap profits.
The farmer, on the contrary, does
not farm in a business manner. Hit
crops. as a rule, are routine without
regard to prospective loss or gain. He
keeps no books, but balances his ac-
counts by the amount left over from ali
his expenses at the end of the year
He may be able to know that q
flock of sheep or crop of wheat
has been profitable, but he
can not tell where he made
mistakes or availed himself of favor,
able opportunities. The relative cost
rs TO proportion of food, loss of avail.
able matter from the soil, expense for
labor and teams, and many other i'm.
pOrtant items, can not be computed,
while the actual amount of capital in
vested, with dividend and interest
therefrom, Is seldom taken into account
at all.
We do not wish TO claim that all farm
ers are thus negligent of true bust
ness matters. There are some who act
on the contrary, and who have con,
tributed not a little to the advancement
of better system of management
among farmers; but, as class, the far.
mers are not as methOdical in their
transactions and business arrangements
On the farm as they should be, and un-
til they rectify this negligence they
will always labor in the dark, and fail
to discern the prospects of the sue
ceeding year, both in regard to the
prices of the commodities they produce
and the cost of the same. A farm rep
reSents a certain amount of capital,
and should produce more than the in
terest alone, for the farmer is just as
much entitled to a dividend on his farm
operations as is the business man who
manufactures wares or ventures in
trade. But in order to emulate bust
ness enterprise the farmer must learn
to know that his operation of the farm
is business. and the same caution, care
and system, so necessary in the one
case, is as important in the other, for
without such no enterprise can sue
coed. no matter how admirably con-
Quoted otherwise. We trust that many
farmers will make a change IL their
methods and keep strict business &C
eountS.-Fd-R1. Field and FiTeSide.