Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1893-01-19
The CrsdIt side OF enc Farm Ledrer.

The Credit side of the Farm Ledger.
Too many farmers are inclined TO
grumble over the lack of cash receipts
from the farm, but they never dream
OF giving that farm credit for the
supplies used from IL by the family.
and why not? Ifthey filed q salaried
position in store or Office they would
soon discover that the cost OF living
was greater bug-bear than the lack
of cash now is.
/ am acquainted, SAYS Waldo 4.
Brown, with farm valued with stock
and implements at $1,000. 1t Is an
upland farm with fifty acres of good
pillow land and the remaining forty
acres In fairly good pasture land. The
buildings are plain but. commodious,
and in good repair. The family sup
ported on this farm averages about
eight, and the furnishing OF the
wants OF the family is made of the
first importance and what they do
not need is sold. The cost for labor
runs from $3.50 to $3.50 a year A
small herd of Jersey cows are kept
and two or three Poland China sows
that are bred for two filters year;
two brood mares and a driving horse
make up the the live stock. AS the
heller calves are raised, there is
usually cow or two TO sell each year,
a horse or colt and from ten to twenty
pigs. ABOUT half the farm is kept in
grain and clover. and from fifteen to
twenty acres sown in wheat each fall,
and five TO seven in oats each spring,
to furnish food for growing stock.
Three acres are devoted to garden
and truck patch, and fifteen acres to
corn and potatoes There Is a per-
manent pasture of blue grass con-
tanning twenty-five acres and five
acres near the barn and hog house
divided into small lots for the pur-
pose of keeping the various kinds
separate. 1t, is the policy OF the
owner of this farm to buy no food
but few tons of bran and few
hundred pounds OF oil meal each year,
but to keep stock enough to consume
what is grown.
The cash income from the farm is
from various sources the sales In
Guiding each years live stock, from
one to three hundred bushels OF
wheat, potatoes, sweet potatoes,
clover seed, hay, butter, fruit and
usually surplus from the garden and
pOultry-yard. From an inspection of
the books l find that the sales from
this farm have in some years of
drought and short wheat been only
between four and five hundred dollars,
and IN the more prosperous years they
have amounted to nearly one thou
sand dollars. / was most interested
in the credits given the farm for what
it furnished the family. The items
which were given were as follows:
"Rent of house and outbuilding at
SIG mouth, $500. Keep OF family
horse at 81 a week for the year, $52.
Bread stuffs, S35. Meats, including
hams, lard, and beef for the winter.
$50. Poultry and eggs, $50 Fruits
en- an average, $50. Vegetables, in
Guiding potatoes of both kinds, $50.
Total, $507; and as the interest at
per cent. on the So, 900 invested would
be $500. it will be seen that these
amount to little over 10 per cent "
From many years experience keep
ing accounts with my own farm, l
do not believe that a single item in
the above statement is charged at too
high rate, and il the owner Of this
farm should sell it and rent as good a
house and keep horse ana COW, and
live in as good style and as comfort
able as he now does, he would likely
pay out twice as much as the interest
he would get for his money, and the
chances are he would not find as safe
an investment for his money at even
per cent. interest.