The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-25

a re We Making Farming Profitable?
Cultivating the most leading crops, selling
or feeding them to the various kinds Of
farm stock are the branches most COM
monty practiced by the farmer. says a
writer in the Rural Home Now the ques-
ton should be with us, are we in these
making it profitablel We may cultivate
many acres and raise large crops, we may
raise. feed and sell much stock and vet not
be making it profitable. 1t is toe much the
idea that if we are growing large crops
OF several kinds and have heap Of the
different kinds Of farm animals that we
are doing big business at farming, with
out casting one thought into the loss and
profit, and Outlines We are SURPRISED TO find
these farmers IN a few years perfect
bankrupls. To raise large crops the expense
of producing them may be greater than the
value of the product, or the profit OF one
crop may be consumed in defraYing the ex-
penses Of another. the draught on the soil
may be in excess of the supply Of fertility,
it may be Improperly sold or cared for; it
may be injudiciously fed. thus making
farming Improbable.
1t is expected that the professional man Is,
or should be, well educated and well schooled
in his business, or else he cannot succeed.
That the merchant deal in the best brand
Of goods, that he must keep an accurate
account of all expenses. loss and gain, that
he may see if he is making bis business
profitable. By this he can see on what he
makes the most profit.
These qualifications seem indispensable to
the merchant and all professional men. 1t.
is equally as much so with the farmer. His
is not business to be carried on success
fully by the unlearned or INDECENT any more
than any other occupation of life. The far
mer should not only be industrious but
should be studious; his mind must be in his
business. He should keep an accurate ac-
count OF all his business, the expense, loss
aud gain, what crops are more profitable
for him to raise, the most profitable disposi-
ton to make of them. The best and most
profitable stock to raise and how best to
dispose of them. Farmers are too
careless in regard to keeping an
account Of their business, consequently they
often raise crops that are not profitable and
raise stock at an expense. Farmers are too
negligent in keeping posted In the markets
and thus often through ignorance Of their
market raise Improbable crops and stock
From my observation there are few crops
that are profitable to raise and sell off the
farm. l notice from my experience in
growing vegetables that many farmers
grow and sell vegetables at less than the
cost to grow them. 1t put little money
in their pockets at the time, but they were
no better off than if they had not raised
them. Unless the farmer keep an account
of the expense in growing a crop he will
overlook this and sell blindly.
Many farmers, if they would for one year
keep a close account of the expense of each
crop they were growing, would be surprised
to find that much of the profit Of one crop
was consumed in paying the expense Of
another, although they may make a consid-
cradle profit on their entire farm. Wheat
sown on clover sod, believe, can be sold
off to profit, but do not think it profita-
BILE to sell clover. By knowing the feeding
value of crop and the value of the manure
produced by it farmer can often make a
calculation as TO what crop can be sold off
at a profit or to sell one crop aad buy an
other.
In order to know whether we are making
farming profitable, we should know
what it costs to raise every bushel of
corn and oats, every pound of grass and
clover, and in fact, every thing we raise.
The farmer should know how many pounds
of feed it takes to feed his stock and to fat
ten his stock for market If he knows what
it costs him to raise every bushel of feed,
and then knows how much he has fed and
knowing how much his stock is worth be-
fore he commences feeding or to fatten, aud
knows the value Of the manure produced by
his stock and what he has received he can
tell whether farming is profitable to him.