Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-04
on CHEAPER PREDICTION.


A gentleman connected with one of our
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 paper on the subject indicated by
the above heading After fully indorsing
the course pursued by US with reference to
the evident need of cheaper production
rather than reduced production and then
putting in many kind words for the work
we are doing through the agricultural de-
partment of The GAZETTE, he says:
Cheaper production may result rs the
work of a combination embracing many
things not now generally thought of by the
farmer One of these is an employment of
the very best improved and approved agl1
cultural implements To be had on amy mar
llet. Cheaper production in other indus
trial lines comes largely through this very
channel, and there is no good reason for
supposing that it, the same thing, will not
work III agriculture as well as anywhere
else.
Another prolific source Of cheaper pro-
duction lies in making Il gOo6 use of every
thing on the farm. Unless this is done
ones prospects for being able To stand
abreast with the cheapest producers are
slim indeed. The margin of lroIt is now
a-days small in every branch of business,
and farming comes wholly within the pre-
Vaiiiug rule. There must be rigid economy
in both time and materials else the profits
will disappear through lack of cheap pro-
ductiou. Those farmers who produce
cheaplE. and thus hold the market of farm
products to what another class regards as
ruinous figures, utilize everything that can
M made IN nuf. TbT smallest
item to the advantages Of the farm.
I he first effort of the farmer bent on
cheap production should be directed towards
an economy of time: or it might be best to
say utilization of time TO the best possible
advantage. / do not mean by this that the
farmer should make slave of himself any
more than does the man lii 500 ? other sue
cessful branch of business; but time is
mousN. If time is worth SO much per hour
every hour thrown away or mlSapplied is a
clear loss Of the amount of money that ii
would be worth if well applied. 1t is Just
the same N everything. y business that
cannot keep man constantly engaged Is
not good business. and the man in bust
ness not capable of doing this rarely be-
comes a financial success. If there is a
chance for his putting in all lis time III a
useful kind of way and he ueglectS to do
50, rhe thing is Just as bad as if he had no
way o. putting in the time. 1t is like some
manufacturing plant r''nhing ON short time.
Then. the y is something more than
putting in ones whole time 1t must be
systematically put in. Every step taken
and every stroke made should count for
something. Some Of the hardest working
men nave 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 TO work to.
and. as a consequence, they took ten steps
,,-l,o five it.b+ have Hnpn inst
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 4 mistake until the work is
half done, perhaps, and then, in many
cases, they are forced TO go back and begin
at the original starting point. The time is
los. and also the strength eXpeade,i.
This kind of haste makes waste. While
il is well to be active AID dilligent. Il is
equally as important TO have our activity
governed by intelligent thought. The farmer
especially cannot afford to work with
out plan which has been previously ma
tured. To say that he must not plan while
he works would ,probaly be SAYING too
much but should he do SO the plans being
laid must be for something to come and
not for that which he is already doing.
Suppose, for instance, that the farmer
concludes TO set an orchard IN be made up
of so many apple trees. so many pear trees.
so many peach trees, and so on. He is one
of those rJsherS. and in his hurry bulGeS
off to the nursery and orders the ureeS with
out regard to variety. time of ripening fruit
or ,a1ything of that lind. Cannot YOU see
that he stands a first class chance of having
hos
and that as a consequence, the value of his
orchard would be greatly impaired: Alittle
thought and planning might have saved
him this very damaging mistake.
If we are 10 spend our tine TO the best
advantage, we must devote portion of it
in deciding how the remainder can be spent
10 best advantage in our business. Such is
Il true econom ing of time. 1t is not the
man who works the hardest physically who
saves the most time. but the man vino
works Systematically always TO such pre-
viouSly laid plan as shall make every sep
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 necessity. but let me tell YOU that
while il may not oe an absolute necessity
under the common way, there Is q gain in
it, ana hence contribution to cheap pro-
ductiOn. Every fertilizng agent man can
gather on his farm, aud add to his land
increases that lands productiveness. and
if gathered at odd spells, thus involving
little outlay of valuable time, which can al
ways be done under good management, it
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 of every need of arguing the case The
lands may be looked upon rs doing very we'll
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 Il
few of our farmers put up with half a bale
of cotton to 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 bale TO
the acre, ask himself why he does not get |
more, seeing as some of his neighbors get a |
bale 10 the acre. This question ought 10 !
turn his thoughts TO the fertilizng elements /
going 10 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 bale |
TO the acre is often raised by others, and in |
casting about for the cause of why he is |
not mp 10 the highest he will he very ant to |
ind lhanureS playing an important part. |
The cheapest possible production demands |
that every advantage be taken.
Again. every field on the farm should be