St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-11
BUSINESS METHODS.
The Need and Value of Them on
the Farm and i'm the House.

lie Neeu anu dtuc VI lhCIh Ofl
the Farm and in the House.
Probably no occupation in which men
are engaged is carried out with so little
regard to business rules as that of farm
ing, and yet no occupation calls for
more rigid adherence to those princi-
Piles which underlie all business trans
actions. The farmer requires a more
diversified education-a knowledge of
greater variety of subjects than any of
the so-called learned professions.
The man who knows only how to turn
check the growth of weeds and promote
the growth of the plant, has not mas
tered the art of successful farming, nor
has the man who knows only how to
rear fine horses, sheep, cattle, or fat
swine, or how to fertilize his fields to
the best advantage, raise the
best corn or potatoes, the highest
yield of oats and barley. The
man to-day who really makes a success
as farmer must combine all these ele
ments of knowledge and many more. 1t
used to be said that any fool could be a
farmer, but at the present day people
begin to realize the fact that the farmer
requires the most versatile education.
The time has gone by when the hap
hazard, slip-ShOd, go-as-yOu-please
methods of farming can be made to pay.
Agriculture has become recognized as
science. Millions of acres of virgin soil
in all our states and territories have
been opened up to the pillow, and their
surplus products are forced upon the
markets of the world. The products of
the cheap labor of foreign countries are
also emptied into our midst to glut our
markets. The farmers upon the worn
soils of the older states must look closely
to the details of their business or go to
the wall.
What would be thought of the mer-
chant who would sell goods from his
counter without knowing their cost?
What would be thought of the manu-
facturer who did not know, ia the frac-
ton of cent, the cost of the raw mate
rial and labor put into yard of cloth?
And yet how many farmers can tell the
cost of pound of butter or pork, a
bushel of potatoes or corn, or ton of
hay? They sell their products for what
they can get offered, not knowing
whether they are making or losing.
What is the remedy? When farmers
come to realize that farming is bust
ness as much as manufacturing or
banking. or buying and selling goods,
and by careful keeping of accounts
with every branch of their operations
learn to figure the cost of every
article they produce, then a success
full beginning will have been made.
Let them keep debit and credit
with every acre of corn, potatoes,
beans or grain. Charge each acre with
the interest on its value, the probable
amount of fertilizing material used
by the crop, the cost of labor in its
care. Credit it with the market value
of the crop produced. The difference
between the two
WILL REPRESENT THE PROFIT OR LOSS.
A like account should be kept with
the herd of cows, or, better, if practical
bic, with each one separately. If any
one of the herd details loss upon you,
dispose of her. Keep a strict account
with the orchard, if you have one, and
if you have not, set out one at
once if you have suitable
location. Debit it with the labor
employed in its care, the harvesting of
it's fruit, and the dressing used upon it,
Credit it with the value of its golden
products, and learn from the balance on
the right side of the ledger that it is one
of your best friends.
Having learned to calculate the cost
of the products of the farm, the next
business requisite is to know how to sell
the surplus. Make study of the mar
kets, and learn for yourselves the prices
of those things you wish to sell. If you
cannot fix your own price you can at
least, prevent being taken advantage
of by INSCRIPTIONS traders. If the
market price on an article is to-day
below what it costs you to produce it,
then calculate from all the information
within your reach what the prospects
for the future may be. Ask
yourselves these questions: What
is the visible supply and what
the probable demand? How
much of this product have other count
les to pour into our markets? How
much will the article l wish to sell
shrink or deteriorate by keeping? Ex-
ercise your reason and bring to bear
upon the subject your best business
faculties, and then decide whether the
prospect is better to wait or sell now.
To sum up in word. The success
full farmer must know how to raise
good crops, how their exact cost, how
and when to sell. He must ever be on
the alert for every iOta of information |
that nartainS to his calling