Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-31
ON CHEAPER PRODUCTION.

ON CHEAPER PRODUCTION.
A gentleman connected with one Of or
states most prominent public institutions,
but who for reasons best known to himself
declines to afford US the pleasure of print
ing his name and location, kindly supplies
US with a paper or the subject indicated by
the above heading. After fully indorsing
the course pursued by US with reference 10
the evident need of cheaper production
rather than reduced production. and then
putting i'll many kind words for the work
We are doing through the agricultural de-
partment of The GAZETTE. he says:
Cheaper production may result as the
work Of a combination embracing many
things not now generally thought OF by the
farmer One OF these is an employment of
the veCy best improved and approved agri-
cultural implements TO be had on any mar
llet. Cheaper production in other indus
trial lines comes largely through this very
channel, and there IS no good reason for
supposin" that il, the same thing, Will not
work in agriculture as well as anywhere
else.
Another prolific source of cheaper pro-
6luction lies in making good use Of every
thing on the farm. Unless this Is done
ones prospects for being able to stand
abreast with the cheapest producers are
sim indeed. The margin Of profit is now
a-days small n every branch Of business,
and farming comes wholly within the pre-
railing rule. There must be rigid economy
IN both time and materials else the profits
viii disappear through lack of cheap pro-
ductiOn. Those farmers who produce
cheaply, and thus hold the market OF farm
products to what another class regards as
ruinous figures, utilize everything that can
be made 10 contribute even the smallest
item to Inc advantages Of the farm.
The first effort of the farmer bent on
cheap production should be directed towards
IN economy of time, o. It might be best to
say Il utilization Of time 10 the best possible
advantage. | do not mean by this that the
farmer should make a slave OF himself any
more than does the man IN some other sue
CeSSiul branch Of business; but time is
money. IL time is worth so much per hour,
every hour thrown away or misarpied is 4
clear loss Of the amount OF money that IL
would be worth if wei applied. 1t is just
the same in everything. y business that
canrOt keep man constantly engaged is
not good business. ana the man III bust
ness not capable Of doing this rarely be-
comes Z financial success. If there is a
chance for his putting III AL his time in 4
useful kind OF way and he ncglects to DO
50. the thing is Just as bad as if he had no
way OF putting in the lime. 1t is like some
manufacturing plant running on short time.
Then. there Is something more than
putting in ones whole time i must be
syst ematically put in. Every step taken
and every stroke made should count for
something. Some Of the hardest working
men I have ever known wasted half their
time by working out of correct system.
They ran here and there always in a hurry,
but had no previously laid plans 10 work 10,
and. DIS y consequence, they took ten steps
where FIVE might have done Just as well,
and perhaps better. While this is a sad
waste Of time ii is more-a waste of strength
also.
You Will encounter men of this character
every day in the year. They enter upon an
undertaking without having first decided
upon the best plans for action. They rush
into the work with such speed that they do
not discover a mistake until the work is
half done, perhaps, and then, in many
cases. they are forced 10 go back and begin
II the original starting point. The time is
lost, and also the strength expended.
This kind of haste makes waste. While
II is well TO be active and dilligent, it is
equally IS important TO have our activity
governed by intelligent thought. The farmer
especially cannot afford 10 work with
out plan which has been previously ma
fured. To say that he must not plan while
he works would prOhaly be saving too
laid must be Tor something to come and
not for that which he IS already doing.
Suppose, for instance, that the farmer
concludes to set an orchard to be made up
OF 50 many apple trees, so many pear trees,
so many peach trees, and so on. He is one
of those rushers. and in his hurry bulgeS
of TO the nursery and orders the trees with
out regard TO variety, time Of ripening fruit.
or anything Of that kind. Cannot you see
that he stands q first class chance Of having
his fruit all ripcning at the same season,
and that, as consequence the value of his
orchard would be greatly Impaired? Alittlc
thought and planning might have saved
him this very damaging mistake.
Ii we are TO spend our time 20 the best
advantage, we must devote portion OF it
in deciding how The remainder can be spent
TO best advantage in our business. Such IS
L true ccOnomiZinG OF time. Ii is not the
man who works the hardest physically who
saves the most time, but the man who
works Systematically always to such pre-
vously laid plan as shall nuke every step
and every lick count to advantage.
On an ordinary farm there are multitudes
of things to be attended TO that if neglected
viii ut an important figure against cheap
production. Important among these stands
waste OF materials. The average Texas
farmer does not consider fertiliZing his
lands a necessity. but let me tell You that
WtlllG IL HAY MOI Oc an dbSolltS Necessity
under the common way, there Is a gain in
it. and hence a contribution to cheap pro-
duCtion. Every fertilizing agent u man can
gather on his farm, and add to his land
increases that lands prOductivcness, and
if gathered at odd spells, thus involving
little outlay of valuable time. which can al
ways be done under good management, il
invariably brings returns entirely above
the outlay, and is, therefore, an important
factor in cheaper production. As yet no
lands have been found SO rich that farm
manures will not improve them, and this
well established fact ought to be enough to
cut off every need of arguing the case. The
lands may be looked upon as doing very well
without this manural aid, for Texas lands
are extremely good. as rule. Yet that they
would do better with ii is something estab-
lished beyond reasonable question. Not a
few of our farmers put up with half bale
of cotton 10 the acre. but there can be no
cheap production in half 4 bale TO the acre
Let the man who considers his land good
enough. though he gets but half 4 bale 10
the acre. ask himself why he does not get
more, seeing as some of his neighborS get Il
bale to the acre. This question ought to
turn his thoughts to the fertilizing elements
going to waste on his farm, and lead TO the
LAYING of plans for cheaply fertilizing them
And even the man getting the full bale to
the acre well knows that more than 4 bale
to the acre is often raised by Others ana in
casting about for the cause of why he is
not up to the highest he will be very apt to
find InanureS playing an important part
The cheapest possible production demands
that every advantage be taken.
u,