Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-12-21
DAIRY AND POULTRY.
INTERESTING CHAPTERS FOR OUR
RURAL READERS.


Keeping Tab"
(From the Farmers Review.)
One of the most successful farmers
it was ever the good fortune of the
writer to become acquainted with was
considered a crank and much too
book learned by his neighbors for the
simple reason that he carried on his
large farming business in a perfectly
business-like way. To be sure. he did
carry things to an extreme in some re-
spects. as, for instance, the opening
of complete double-entry ledger ac-
count with each field upon his large
farm. In this he would charge against
the field each load of manure hauled
upon it and also the expense for work
of man and team and similarly record
every penny OF expense on one side
and against it the gains of the field not
only in actual crops grown and sold,
but in accrued gain OF fertilizing mat
ter held over from one crop to the
next and of new manure produced
from the waste products of the field.
Such a man would be generally ex-
pected to fail on the basis of the old
idea that "he who stops to count the
cost will ne'er put hand to plow." This
idea of not counting the cost is absurd
and erroneous; it is behind the times
dho AIIo1CdulhS, uOWStcT tIlI6 dAQ dP-
parently wise it may look to the
thoughtless who do not want to bother
with figures. We need to count the
cost nowadays. We need to follow the
example OF this man who kept such
an elaborate set of books. in principle
at least if not in fact. We need to
keep tab" of every operation of the
farm, and nowhere is this more neces-
sary than upon the farm where herd
of swine is kept. Annually there is
great loss of pigs and consequently OF
profit by failing to keep tab of the date
of fservice of each SOW. A ledger account
should be opened with each pedigreed
SOW, at least, even if the fields are
not SO dealt with. On one side of this
account should be set down the cost
price of the SOW and all expenses in
c1uded in purchase, etc. Here, too, a
record should be kept of her time of
service and opposite it in good sea-
son the returns from that service in
number of pigs and later on the re-
turns from the sale of those pigs. By
SO doing it is possible to detect at
glance how a sow is breeding and pay
ing for her board and at the same time
to decide which SOW is the most profit
able in amounts obtained for products
which indicate, unless pedigreed. the
weight OF the hogs sold from her and
the price obtained for those products.
twill also appear whether she is shy
or steady breeder. In a large herd such
facts are soon lost sight of unless
some such record is kept. and without
1t sows are liable to bring forth their
pigs when not expected and in places
where many succumb to the rigors of
inclement weather or the attacks of
other swine. By the keeping of
record the pedigrees of swine are
easily kept track of, for it is always
better to know just where facts are to
be found in writing than to attempt
to record them merely in the mind;
great knowledge OF science is impos-
sible unless a man can remember just
where to lay hands on a book in his
library which contains the facts he re-
quires to consult But there is anoth-
er fine point to be mentioned in this
matter of keeping tab. It does not so
much concern the figures of profits ss
the record of results in product OF
perk OF weight at selling time, and
after all that is but another form of
dollars and cents. We refer to the
keeping of what may be termed the
experiment record" Here should be
set down each week or month a cor
rect account of the feeding operations
going on at the time. Each lot of hogs
should be weighed and close track kept
of the amount and kind of food con-
sumed by each. The work should be
patterned after that so well done at
every one of the agricultural expert
ment stations throughout the country
and will show at the end of the year
or feeding period exactly how a lot of
hogs have been fed, what gains have
been made from the feeding and what
profits have been made from the sale of
the products II every hog raiser were
to keep tab in this way of at least a
CHECK lot" of feeding hogs he would
have a safe guide to follow yearly,
and by changing his methods and
again keeping tab would be able In
time to tell exactly for his special To-
cation and circumstances the method
of feeding which was the most profit
able The principle of keeping tab is
what we desire to urge in this short
article. It cannot be fully elaborated
here; what we have said may be suf-
fcient to set the hog man thinking,
and that Is the main object of this
column of the paper.
Roosters Grow for Prizes
BOOSTERS that crow for prizes are