Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-19
THE FARM'S CREDITS.
BE Fair In Estimating Its Returns, In
Guiding also Savings Made.

We have friend who is anxious to sell
his farm, which he regards as worth Sl6.-
600 "because it does not pay" and put his
| capital at interest. Probably the worst
| calamity which could befalI him would be
that he should find customer. Seven
per cent. is certainly as high interest as he
can depend upon, even if none of his cap
ital is at any time idle; his gross receipts
will only be 81, 120, and taxes will reduce
that by at least 5000, leaving 1920. He
will have to provide himself with house
to live in, and $50 per month-S240 per
year-wlll not secure as good a one as he
has on the farm, so that there remains but
$3.50 per year with which TO face the world
and support the family. And after these
expenses have been met it is pretty certain
there will not be much "pav" left. Now
the farm will undoubtedly do good deal
better than this. Without realizing it or
giving the farm proper credit for it, the
farmer draws his principal support from
the farm. 1t furnishes the vegetables, the
fruits, the milk and butter, the poultry,
eggs, etc, consumed by the family, and
probably part of the fresh and all Of the
salt meats. Only those who run to the
butchers two or three times day and buy
their potatoes by the pound and their milk
by the pint realize what all these things
cost and what a sum of money they will
absorb in the course of a year. They en-
brace, in fact, as any one who is under the
necessity of purchasing everything knows
full well, the principal part Of the expense
OF living. All these the farmer has in pro-
fusion to start with, and they constitute a
very considerable portion of what should
be expected from a moderate sized farm.
But many are unmindful of this fact, and
are dissatisfied with the farm because it
does not pay large sum of money over
and above support. 1t pays something
beyond this point, which Is probably more
than could be realized from the same capt.
tai otherwise invested, and if provided
with better stock and given the advantage
Of more care and study, there are few
farms which cannot be made to pay a great
deal better than they are now doing under
the care Of dissatisfied owners who are
looking for chance to sell out
If the farmer expects to embark his cap
ital in trade, he is venturing upon lines
entirely new TO his experience, in which
competition is very close and often ruin
ous, and where the ground is more than
well occupied already by men trained
in business and alert to perceive aud avail
themselves of every advantage. Perhaps
the farmer will succeed here where trained
and experienced men can make but little
and often ANONYMOUSLY fail, but the
chances are that he will lose instead of
gain, and will be found few years hence
striving with diminished capital and great
er disadvantages to re-establish himself in
farming which he had no business to have
abandoned
The fact is farmers have no occasion to
be dissatisfied with their condition. They
are better off and doing better as class
than any other class Of business men in
the community. The farm pays them more,
all things considered, than they would
likely realize from the same capital other
wise employed. They should understand
this and be satisfied with it. And if the
farm does not pay what it should pay,
give to the details Of its management some
Of that patient and persistent attention and