The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1905-02-04
FARMER AND PLANTER.
BOOKKEEPING ON THE FARM
The Progressive Farmer Can Not
Get Along without It, the
ether Kind May.

believe Emerson and Flint in The
Manual Of Agriculture say The keep
ing of accurate accounts is indispensa-
bic to complete success in farming,
and / indorse the the saying from
start to finish. If a farmer does not
keep an account of what he does the
fact is that he never knows whether
his business is profitable or not. He
might know whether he is richer now
than he was ten or fifteen years ago,
Or whether he is worth several hum
drsds and perhaps thousands of dollars
less. 1t may be with some that there
is very little difference. They are Just
standing still and do not know which
branch of their business is Keeping
them poor and which one is making
the living If a little figuring mad
been done the part which was making
the loss could have been dispensed
with, but the most OF such farmers
do not know which one it is, and often
do away with the best one. 8 little
figuring is often worth dollars TO US.
Figure and keep account of your hog
y
hogs and can not make anything at
the business, try something else, or
do nothing. Keep a book account, ana
you will always know these things. L
keep in a day-book or diary what IS
done each day. This only takes q
line or two for every day. 1 put down
the work do, and any business trans
action, or in other words this is my
diary, and everybody knows what a
| diary is. I find it helpful in referring
| to back dates many times. Besides
| this I keep a complete set Of books
on the simplest plan of bookkeeping.
| These are small books ruled in differ
ent= form as needed The whole set
| of five cost only fifty cents, and Will
| last the average farmer several years.
| "A farmer does not need to have those
| large clothbound books. If he wishes
he can get some Of the practical blanks
which students use at the business col
I leges, or some of the smaller cloth
| bound books which are not expensive,
but no matter how much they cost,
| you should keep an account IN some
way. To just keep list of transac-
| tons in a small day-book is better
| than none at all, and it would be well
| to carry small book and pencil all
the time. Farmers have just as much
right to look and act like business
men as anyone, for every farmer
should be business man. So keep an
account of your business. It is very
essential that farmers keep an account
/ OF their business transactions. for they
| can see just how they stand financially
| in few minutes and those who keep
books stand better than those who dc
not, and BY not keeping books they
/ hardly know which way or how bad
/ they do stand Deliver all things in
/ number and weight, and put all things
4 in writing that you givest out or re-
i ceivest in is what we find in the
i Eecleciastes xiii, Z, and it is a wise
/ idea. Along this line it would be
/ better If farmers would do a little
more figuring Il you are going te
undertake something which is new te
you. figure well before you go into it
We can figure on almost anything
and never figure too high. Always
give good measure in figuring and al
low plenty for extras. urge all farm.
ers to keep some kind Of an account
/ OF their transactions. I am satisfied
that it pays, and if you try It you vii
be satisfied.-E. ]. Waterstripe, il
Epitomist.