Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-12-23
SUCCESS IN FARMING.


The Only Way Of Making Agricultural
Pursuits Prontabls.
Farming docs not mean simply stir
ring the soil. sowing the seed and
harvesting the crops, but from the be-
ginning of the year to its end there
should be constant production in
every possible manner. While the
crops are growing the future food is
being prepared. but IS soon as it Is
harvested it should be made still more
serviceable by being converted into
| some higher-priced product While
an acre of land may produce fifty
bushels of corn on its part. yet that
corn may nearly all find its way back
to the soil that produced it, only that
portion being sold that will repay the
cost and labor Of converting it into
beef, mutton, pork, wool, muscle or
whatever it may contribute The
farmer who can so manage a. to Sc
! cure the largest crops, and return to
his soil the larger portion by disposing
of that which is more readily salable
in some other shape. will gradually
become wealthy, though the actual re-
ceipts may be apparently small.
Farming is continuous operation.
1t is the changing of products from
one kind to another according to the
demand for each. In estimating the
value of bushel of cor produced on
the farm. and fed to stock, it must be
regarded as cheaper to the farmer than
to anv other person, since he does not
have to transport it to market; and
when charging it to his animals as
food he should deduct from the market
cost the expense which he would other
wise incur for pagging, handling, haul
ing and freight The true value OF the
corn is that which it produces. The
rule of charging interest for the corn
as crop, and also on the beef or milk
derived from it, often causes the ac-
counts to appear unfavorable. 1t is the
first disposition Of the crop that regU-
lates It's value. If it disappears from
the farm in the carcass of the steer, it
stands in the same position as if the
steer grew upon the land inst Fad of
the corn, the corn being only the COM
ponent part of the steer in the shape
Of marketable beef. If the crop be fed
to the cow and the milk sold off the
farm, the crops simply sent away in the
milk-cans in place of bags, and, instead
of being compelled to sell the entire
crop to realize a certain sum, the
change of form by conversion in:o
some other product results in the Sc
curing of an equal sum from only a
portion of the crop. Hence the farm
should aim to re i as Ii tie as possible
off the farm. That is. he should en-
deavor 10 secure the largest sum pos
sibie with the smallest amount of
product by converting all crops into
those that are less bulky and COM
mand the higher prices. But the farm
ing business requires system. Ii calls
for the use of all kinds of suitable
ma h,nery and stock. AS no manu-
facturer Of cotton goods can afford &c
weave his goods with hand looms.
neither can farmer expecI to make
farming Profitable unless he takes adj
vantage of all opportunities open to
him. If his crops are to be fed on the
farm and rendered service be in pro-
ducing something else through tn
agency of stock. such stock must he
perfectly adapted 10 the purposes de-
signed. The largest possible increase
at the least cost and in the shortes.
period of time should lie the rule. and
upon this depends the turning point
between profit and loss. -ihiladeLphia
Record