The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-15

separate his personal and household ex-
penditures from those of his farm? Unless
he has kept an account with his different
crops, how can he know which have
given him a. profit and which have not?
The losses on some may offset the profits
on others. So alsa, unless he keeps an
account with his different fields, the profits
from one may all be absorbed in the losses
from another. There are, undoubtedly,
thousands of poor fields cultivated every
year which do not repay the cost of cui-
uvhtion. How can farming be conducted
successfully when pursued thus bhndly
and in the dark? One of the greatest
needs of our farming to-day is strictly
business methods in conducting il. Book
keeping is an essential thing in Other
kinds of business, and farming forms no
exception in this respect
Was the general farm policy pursued
the Wisest and best? If it was the all
cotton plan, has it worked out well? Aft
er paying for cost of production is there
enough funds left to buy provisions for
another year, and neat surplus to meet
family wants, other necessary expenses
and the lifting of mortgages or paying OF
Old debts? If it had failed TO do these
things, what profit has there been in the
years work? Do not lay the blame on
bad seasons. The advance in the price of
cotton will about offset the shortness of
the crop Had a large crop been made
have done If the crop was a large one
you would have had no more money than
you have with the short crop and higher
prices? A 100000 bale crop at cents VIII
bring more money than a 1l000, 000-bale
crop at cents, and you had no reason 20
expect more than cents when you plant
ed the crop. When it requires most IA
vorabse conditions and the finest manage
ment to make the cost of production less
than cents, how could any reasonable
person expect any profit from an atl-cof-
ton crop? Had mixed crop, including
necessary provision crops been planted,
there would have been reasonable pros
pect of having something at the end of
the year.
If mixed crop was planted, was the
selection of crops the best that could have
been made? Were those chosen best
adapted TO your soil and climatic condi-
tons? What does the years experience
say on this point? Perhaps you planted
cotton on bottom land. The dry season
was particularly favorable to it and you
made a good crop. Would you infer from
that that bottom lands were best adapted
to cotton? Or possibly in your locality
rains prevailed and the cotton on bottom
land failed to mature, and your crop was
a failure. Or you had upland only, plant
ed more largely of corn than of small
grain, peas. sorghum. etc, and again your
crop was a failure. Kaffir corn and sim
liar crops are much more resistant of
drought than maize, and should largely
replace the latter on high, dry farms,
with thirty soils. Did you look well 10
these points in pitching your crops?
Did you plant enough peas TO keep your
lands we'll supplied with nitrogen and
enough small grain and forage plants TO
meet all the requirements of your stock,
to keep your soil from washing and to
keep up in il a full supply of humus? If
you made any mistakes along these lines
make a note of them, so they may be cor
rected in the new years work