Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-10-24
Bualnos. Me.nod. on the Farm.

Business Methods on the Farm.
With all the exhortations to farmers
20 make greater use Of business meth
eds on the farm, we see very few
Of them explaining how such methods
should be applied, or wherein they
would DO specially valuable. Gener-
Sizing is not the best way to make
truths plain. To come down to the
root OF the matter at once, let me ask
abe readers how he Is to know whether
his DO S, his poultry or his COWS pay
him profit If he feeds each class Of
these animals from the same grain
binsP The cows may be making a
profit on their feed and thus conceal
Ing deficit that comes from unproft-
able hogs and hens Or. the cows and
hens may be concealing the fact that
Abe hogs are running in debt to the
farm. II 10 the Same with other kinds
OF stock, when all are fed from a
common quantity OF iced stufHs. Occa-
sionally 1t is oven worse than the case
mentioned. the cows hens, and hogs
might each and all return less than
the cost OF their keep, and still the
truth be undiscovered provided some
other branch OF farm operations
brought in sufficient revenue TO make
up the deficiency. How can IL be told.
whether certain crop OF corn. oats
wheat or potatoes has been a profit
able one TO raise, If no account is kept
Of the cost OF preparing the ground,
dressing, caring for, and hary estlng
she crop.
would have separate grain bins for
ZACH lind OF stock then upon the first
day Of January OF each year. or upon
Abe first day OF one of the spring
months il one chooses a large blank
book should be procured, and every
slime a suck Of bran or oats is put into
the poultry house, its cost should be
charged to the account of the poultry.
II ground meal, bone or any other ar
dele OF food is purchased for tho hens
lot the cost be charged to them. and
whenever eggs or market poultry are
sold lot the proper credit be given,
together with a credit for the eggs
and poultry used on the table II the
hens have eaten a certain number OF
bushels OF vegetables, their value
should b. charged to the poultry ao-
COUNT At tho end o: tho year it win
Do pretty plain how tho fowls have
paid.
The dairy will have charged to IL
the feed that has been placed IN the
stable bins, together with the value OF
the hay, ensilaga and roots eaten; and
credit viii be- given TO the same for
the butter sold and eaten. the milk
sold or used, and the estimated value
OF the skim milk fed out The dairy
should also be credited for the value
OF calves when weaned, and for the
manure that ia made
II Is not necessary TO 90 farther into
details, to show that this is the only
way by which we can tell whether the
work is profitable or not This Is the
only way, il il is not profitable by
which one can toll what branch ia
haadicapping all the rest lt needs
no great knowledge OF bookkeeping,
90 classify these important facts Any
one with good common sense can
make such debit and credit entries,
under the heading Of each branch OF
his farm operations as he can himself
readily understand, when he comes to
reckon up tho cost and the value OF
articles S3lI and on hIHd. The great
point isto begin keeping such accounts,
and the sooner one begins tho better.
practical Farmer