Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-03-26
What are Profits In Farmins3

| The word "profits" is persistsntlJ
misused by agricultural colleges as vel
as by farmers. The inaccurate English
is bad enough, but the misleading con
clusions are much worse, rs they result
in losses to farmers.
Nearly all bulletins on fertilizer tests
call thevalue of the increased crop less
the cost of the fertilizer "profit" or met
profit" But it usually costs 81 to 81 pei
ton to haul fertilizer from town; the ap,
plication Of il costs something; the use
of the money for the season is q very i'm.
portant item; the harvesting and storing
of the increased crop cost something.
To ignore all these items and call the
difference between the value Of the in
creased crop and the cash cost of the fer
tilizer "profit" is very misleading. We
ought to call the difference 1.-The value of
the increase above the cost of the fertil-
izer" or use some other accurate state
ment.
The prices at which crops are figured
are often much more than farmers can
get. 1t seems to the writer that the
average farm price for the state for a
period of five years as given in the Year
book of the Department of Agriculture
is good price TO use. 1t Is interesting
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
81 per ton. 1t was showing the profits
from growing corn. Another institution
was showing how rich you could get by
feeding cows. 1t valued corn silage at
81 80 per ton. The agroDomy depart
ment of one college values manure, in
cluding the cost of spreading, at 80 cents
per ton. This shows great profit from
using il as fertilizer. The dairy depart
ment in the same institution credits the
COWS with manure at $3.50 in the barn.
Probably it would cost at least so cents
more per ton to haul and spread il. This
same dairy department charges cows with
hay at what it costs to grow it, not at
what il is worth. This 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 COM
monty called profit in bulletins and farm
papers, but the feed is usually only from
one half to two-thirds of the cost of keep
ing a COW. The man labor usually costs
from $40 to $50 per COW per year. The
use of buildings is usually worth s. to
SIS per COW. The horse labor, the use
of equipment, the interest on the invest
ment, the veterinary fees, the male ser
vice and many other items must be con-
sidered if we wish to find the profit. In
stead Of misleading persons BY using the
word profit" why not say "value OF milk
above the cost Of feed," or invent new
word? A long awkward expression is
better than an uutruth.
A very recent bulletin uses the word
"profit" in discussing certain systems Of
farming, and tells how many times more
profit farmer will make if he follows a
certain system. But when the bulletin
is examined it is found that the only ex-
penses counted are labor, interest 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 "protit" both accu-
rately and honestly.-G. +. Warren, in
the December Cornell Countryman.