St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-04-01
THE IDEAL FARMER.
Accurate Accounts OF All Expenditures OF
Labor or Money and Also or Receipts,
Essential to Good Farming.

less an ideal farmer, unless he keeps
an accurate account in writing of all
expenditures. whether of labor or
money, and of receipts. whether OF
goods or cash, with an inventory OF
all his possessions, whether lands, ten
ements, hereditaments, or appurte-
nances, SO that he can determine the
amount and value thereof, and refer
each separate item of profit to its
appropriate category. For this %pur-
pose. a knowledge of accounts is
great convenience, but not essential.
\ very limited amount of literary
requirement will enable one to enter
separately that which he receives and
that which he pays out. whether
money or anything else; and also to
open an account with each separate
crop and enter each item in the cost
Of production, and each item OF pro-
cecds of disposition. The same SIM
pIe process will suffice for the items
OF beef. butter, mutton. poultry. and
so no. Farming is the only business
that is carried on or that can be car
red on successfully without some sys-
TEN Of accounting, and there is not
single successful farmer who neglects
this feature of his business who
would not be more successful by OBJ
serving it. Such a system will enable
the farmer to determine the profit,
loss, and the causes thereof. OF every
branch of his business. BY this
means he is duly warned, where to
shorten in, where to enlarge. what
methods to continue and what to
abandon. A farmer who keeps no ac-
counts, running his business hit-or-
amiss, may be making profit on his
business, and all that, but he can new
eli be an ideal farmer, because he is
not farming up to the measure OF his
cpportunities-not doing the best he
can.
Recently farmer brought 45 BUSH
els of corn from a distance of IL miles
to Dallas to sell. He could only get
an offer of - cents per bushel for it.
He said it was worth IS cents to him
to feed to hogs. but he had heard that
corn was selling in Dallas for 40 cents.
He hauled his corn back. His ig-
norance Of the market price OF his
corn cost him two days labor and
maintenance of man and team, wear
and tear Of wagon, and loss of temper.
This is only one OF the numerous pit
falls into which farmers stumble when
they do not keep themselves advised.
not only OF markets, but methods. The
ideal farmer must he up-to-date; he
must read the papers that deal with
his interests; attend farmers meet
ings. and utilize every means present
ed to increase his knowledge on al!
subjects concerning his business. The
writer was at the house Of farmer In
Collin county-a plain. hard-workins
farmer-and while waiting for dinner
was invited into what he called his
parlor. Seeing a number of news
papers. and among them several agri'
cultural papers. scattered about, asked
him question. to which he replied:
"Yes, take seven dierent papers, be
sides Texas Farm and Ranch" He alst
had small library containing several
books on farming and stock breeding
and. Of course, there were no trades
mems tricks played on him. 1t has n
ways been a matter of surprise to all
well informed people that 50 man!
farmers consider that industry ant
physical strength are all the qualifica
tions needed in their business, when
in feet. there is no business of profes
sion to which so much and SO varied
knowledge can be made tributary. J
lawyer may be totally ignorant OF sh'
natural sciences. 4 merchant may mo-
know whether pumpkins grow tre'
or under ground like potatoes; ply
sician may know absolutely nothing q
soil physics. botany or entomology
and each O. these may stand ut th'
head OF his profession. But all thes'
and many more, bear directly on TIL
business OF crop production. Al
| knowledge, of whatever laudable kind
may be put to good use in the opera
ticns OF the farm. II il useless to 81!
that the most intelligent farmers ar
! the most successful, and that the op
posite is also true. That this IL true
IL everywhere evident. We do no
| wish to convey the impression that eN
pert knowledge of the sciences is nee
| essary to an ideal farmer. But we d
/ say that such knowledge would en;'
bic one to farm better, and that
working knowledge" Of the science
is necessary for every good farmer
But. mind you. onr ideal farmer !
more than successful crop grove
and stock raiser. a. will appear here