Norwich bulletin., 1911-09-02

D..
keep our accounts in apple pie order
from one years end to the other.
There are others of US who can do a
very good job in the corn-field or the
hay-lot but who couldn't tell the diff
ference between a day-book and
ledger if our lives depended on it.
Those of US who belong in that last
class are apt to think that any sort
of account-keeping with our farms is
all poppycock and a waists of time.
In one sense that is true. 1t would
be nonsense for such of US to try and
keep set of faultless books. But,
there isn't one of us who is able to
make five out of three and two who
can't keep some sort of an account
with his farm his crops his stock. A
pencil stub and a new single are
enough for the whole financial story
of my potato-crop. (And it didn't
need all the shingle, either, this parti-
cular yearD- I've known of a per-
fectly complete and satisfa Glory rec
ord of small dairy being kept on
sheet of wrapping paper tackled
against the inside of the barn door
1t was enough to show the surprised
cow-keeper that, if he had sold his
hay in the fall and bought much
manure in the spring as his cows
would have made, he would have
been dollars better off, and would have
saved all the work and fuss of the
dairy.
Really, it makes mighty little diff
ference whether you keep a full set
of books with three kinds of ink and
d semi annual "trial-balance," or just
use one chunk of chalk on the barn
door, so long as you keep enough to
tell you at the end of the season
whether YOU are farming wisely or
not. 1t won't quite do to say: *Oh,
what does it matter? It's results
we're all after Sure, we're after re-
suits; but, il we're fit for our bus
mess, it's the best results which We
ought to be after. How are we go
ing to find out those best results I'M
less we test and try and experiment
and keep tab? Call it just that, if
you prefer. Keep tab" on your farm,
if you're too distainful to keep
books with it. But make it tell you
soma clear way. crop by crop and
year by year, what it is doing for
you and what you are getting out
of it.
Maybe you think you can keep it
all in ''your head" If you can you're
a genius and more of a wonder than
Frankly, | don't believe you can. I'll
bet seven cents against a. bakers
doughnut that your wife doesn't be-
lieve you can either. Nor that you
yourself are sure of it. Your mem
DRY is certain to be muddy on some
point, or your attention to be dis
tracted from some other. There's
something quite Illuminating and sur
prising, at times. in a row of dates
and figures. They're very satisfactory
to fall back on, too. It's an old say
ing that they don't lie And they
dont,-of themselves, though there
are arithmetical jugglers who can
do quite immoral stunts with them.
But they'll be absolutely honest with
you, if you'll be honest with them.
It's also necessary to use a little
Judgment with your books and ink or
your single and chalk. Honesty is a
steady puller. but needs horse sense
hltchad up with it to make a work.
team. The farmer who really wants
to know, can do so, if he will simply
exercise common sense in setting
down all the charges against him as
We'll as all the credits due him, and
then honestly add up the honest
Arabic figures. It's just as easy as
rolling off log,-especially as you
are permitted to pick your own log
and roll off it your own way.
This Minnesota man with his
grade Jersey was probably honest in
intent. But he was swayad by pre-
conceived prejudice. He was CON
N1nced, beforehand, that this pet COW
was a gold-mine, and he kept ac-
count with her to prove it.-not to
find out whether it was really so Or
not. That's the trouble with too
many of US. We have our hobbies in
crops or stocks. and We almost in
stinctively and sometimes uncon-
sciously twist the figures to make
them agree with what we want That's
not the way. The real scientist wants
to know the truth and the exact truth,
no matter whether said truth is
pleasant or unpleasant, whether it
sustains his theories or knocks them
ga1ley-west. The real farmer wants
to know the truth about his farm and
his crops and his stock. no matter
whether that truth agrees with his
likings or not.
Probably, if we all could fall back
on irrefragable figures some of us
who are keeping diaries would find
out farms and markets would do bet
Ter for us with potatoes: some others
g1rh arc Gtt-IJo cr1i INN r. icn