Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-06-11
What Are Profits in Farming?

The word profits is persistently mis-
used by agricultural colleges as well as
by farmers. says the cornell Country-
men" The inaccurate English is bad
enough, but the misleading conclusions
are much worse, as they result In losses
to farmers.
Nearly all bulletins on fertilizer tests
call the value of the increased crop less
the cost of the fertilizer profit or
met profit ," But it usually costs 81 To
81 per ton to haul fertilizer from town;
the application of ii costs something; the
use of the money for the season is a
very important item: the harvesting and
storing of the increased crop cost some
thing. To ignore all these items and call
the difference between the value of the
increased crop and the cash cost of the
fertilizer profit" is very misleading.
We ought TO call the difference "the
value of the Increase above the cost of
the fertilizer. or use some other aecuf-
ate statement.
The prices at which crops are figured
are often much more than farmers can
get. IL seems to the writer that the
average farm price for the state for
n period of FIVE years as given IN the
ture is i good price 10 use. 1t is inter
esting TO see the comparisons made by
different departments At the New York
State Fair this year one state institution
showed charts that valued corn silage
at s. per ton II was showing the profits
from growing corn. Another institution
was showing how rich you could get by
feeding cows. 1t valued corn Stage At
ri. dana 1T Ns4r,t
of one college values manure. including
the cost of spreading, at 50 cents per
ton This shows a great profit from us-
ing it as fertilizer The dairy depart
ment in the same institution credits the
cows with manure at a.5o In the barn.
Probably II would cost at least 20 cents
more per ton to haul and spread II
This same dairy department charges
cows with hay at what Il costs Ia grow
it, not at what it is worth Tfis ought
to make any scrub COW pay Whenever
there is a good hay crop.
The difference between the cost of feed
and the value of the milk Is commonly
called profit in bulletins and farm pap
ers, hut the feed is usually on'H from
one-half to two-thirds of the cost Of
keeting a COW. The man labor usually
costs from SO to so per COW per year
The use Of buildings is usually worth %
to SIS per cow The horse labor. tie use
of equipment. the interest on the in
vestinent, the veterinary fees, the maie
service and many other items must be
considered II we wish to find the profit
Instead of misleading persons by using
the word profit Why not say value
of milk above the cost Of feed" or in
vent new word? a long awkward ex-
preston is better than an untruth.
A very recent bulletin uses the word
profit" in discussing certain systems
of farming, and tells how many times
more profit farmer win make II he fol-
flows certain system. But when the
bulletin is examined 1t Is found that the
only expenses counted are labor inter-
est and taxes. The farmer who followed
the system that gave greatest receipts
would not necessarily make any profit
at ALL
The public will be much better in
structed when papers, speakers and bull
letins use the word profit both ae-
curateiy and honestly.