The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-05-14

just issued Il most comprehensive bu'le
tin uIon TIC result Of six years study
and experiment N the agricultural Sec
tioas of Minnesota. This bulletin, No
10, is thc most exhaustive work on the
cost of producing farm products in
Minnesota that has ever been COM
piled, and should be in the hands of
every farmer in the state.
The work was started in 1902 in
CO. operation with three communities
of farmers in typical agricultural re-
gions of Minnesota, namely North
field (Rice county, in southeastern
Minnesota, Marshall Lyon county, in
southwestern Minnesota, and Halstad
Norman county, in northwestern
Minnesota. A 'route man" employed
as a special agent was located in each
community who daily visited each of
as many farms as he could handle
and received reports from the farmers
concerning the number of hours of
work performed by men and teams in
the various farm operations, together
with reports of sales, expenditures
and all items relative to crop produc-
ton. Machinery, harness, live stock,
feed, ETC., were inventoried at the be-
ginning and close of each year so that
all cost and depreciation could be ac-
curately determined. The cost of
boarding farm help was determined,
including all farm produce consumed
and labor used in the household
Each year the crop areas have been
accurately surveyed so that all cost
of crop production could be reduced
to the acreage basis. In 1906 farm
of $40 acres at Morris, Stevens coun-
ty, was added to the list Of farms
reporting. The manager of this farm
keeps the daily journal of the farm
business and mails his records to the
experiment station.
Another farm was also added at
Sabin, in Clay county.
In the history of American agricul-
ture little attention has been paid to
the Science of business American
agriculture little over a generation
ago had not been commercialiZed. The
farmer produced food only for himself
and family and live stock; the women
made the clothes: very little farm
produce was bought or sold. In the
present decate new problems confront
him. Many farm laborers and farm
bred youths have gone into the manu-
featuring industry or migrated west to
aid in developing the new country; land
values have increased soil fertility
shows signs of depletion; weeds, fun
gus diseases and insect pests unknown
generation ago are to be combated
and conditions demand more attention
to marketing than ever before. For
many years men have been studying
physics. chemistry, botany and zoology
for principles which coudd be applied
profitably to the pactice of agricul.
ture, and much success has crowned
their efforts. The application of these
sciences has done much to increase
productiveness and to benefit not only
farmers, but all classes of people
The agricultural colleges and expert
ment stations have been more than
justified as institutions for investioat.
/ ing the scientific principles applica
BILE to agriculture and teaching them
to farmers. Making the facts con-
corning SOIL crop, and live stock man
agement common knowledge is today
an important feature of government
aid to agriculture. In the science of
business as applied to agriculture
there is, however, a dearth of knowl-
edge. 1t is almost impossible for the
college instructor in 'farm manage
ment," or the agricultural press to
secure authentic and exhaustive ma
terial on this science. Occasionally a
farm manager has recorded facts con-
; corning "costs" on his farm which
have placed him in the front rank as
successful manager, but these cases
are rare.
In the past two or three years there
is much evidence that farmers are
awakening to the need of more knowl-
edge concerning the science of bust
ness, and that they recognize it as a
necessity if farming is to be profit
able. Editors of agricultural papers are
often asked: "What is the cost of
producing an acre of corn? Or of
keeping a milch COW? Or the compar-
ative cost of dairy farming and beef
or hog farming?" These and similar
questions indicate growing desire
and need for cost data which may find
as profitable application in agriculture
as cost data" tables have in civil en-
glneering or as the railroad "operat-
ing expense" table has in the econom-