The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1912-06-07
PRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY
ON THE LARGE FARM


The larger farm is and the
more people that are required TO
run it, the more perfect the system
of general management will need
to be; every farm from the small
est to the largest must have some
system to be satisfactorily success
full. There must be heal to plan
and inspect and receive reports Of
even the most minute details; ana
on a farm of several hundred ;'c"es
this will require the most OF one
persons time. But on snlaii"
tar.ns. one hundred acres or Tess,
an hour a day will suffice FOR incsi
of the planning. In orde" to plan
carefully or to profit from past ex-
perience one must know all The de-
tails of the work.
Especially where some new meth
ODDS are to be tried out, 1t Is not
enough to tell some one to do GER
tain thing. 1t is the duty OF the
general manager to plan the work
ont in advance and then show just
what he wants done and how to do
il. Even if he is to perform the
actual labor himself he can do it in
much less time and with much less
effort if he is following previous
" well formulated plan. But where
the labor is to be performed by
assistants, this is an absolute neces-
ity.
After the work has been done,
thorough and exact personal IN
spection should be given to see that
il is done according to directions.
If not. frequently time and expense
are both saved by doing over instead
Of attempting to patch up. In the
preparation of field for certain
crop. do not take any ones word
for il That it has been properly
done. See il it has been Land IS
TOO valuable to lie idle or to produce
a half crop, and unless it is prop
erly fitted results cannot be expect
ed. In the preparations OF the SOL
il will be most profitable to do the
work over second or even third
time. or until conditions are made
right for seeding. The care oil the
live stock requires frequent ano
close attention 10 The details OF feed
ing. of records, of general health
and conditions.
4 half hour or an hours time CIV
EN- the last thing al night or the hrs
thing in the morning, to running
over the plans for the day and ar
ranging them in something IKE OF
der will be found a very great say
ing through the course OF the DAY
We have found it worth while u
map out just what we wish to tax
IN, each day, the order in when w
wish TO take it, and to make not
of any details which may vary iron
usual custom. Then it is an cas-
matter either to tell some one els
what 10 do, or to do it ourselves
And as soon as one thing is finlsh
ed. even before it is finished, w
know--iust what we are 70 aS-neS
and no time need be-@ost in stand
ing around trying to make up on
minds what should come first.
One of the APPARENTLY minor &c
tails of farming but one which
reality is very important is the max
ing and taking of notes. In plaI
ming out the days work or the Sc;
SONS work it will be very heipi'
IN make an outline-a very Dire
one will answer, which may be RI
ferred to at any time. The memor
sometimes proves faulty and 1t
usually safer to trust to notes. NJ
only in planning, but in the resul
from the work, outlines and recort
will prove very valuable, and obse'
va.ions made during the day or III
season, special details, anything o.
Of the ordinary, and much OF III
very commonplace are noted.
As an illustration, we will suppo'
notes on the growth and productio
of certain field of corn. III
number of the field is first pr
down. then the date of plowin
whether subsoiling was practice
or not, what fertilization was give
and when, the dates OF diskin8 an
narrowing, the condition OF the SO
the date of planting, comments {
termination, when and what cult
walton was given, date and resul
of harvesting. If two or three di
ferent fields Of corn were plant'
The same season, and record SUI
as this kept Of each one, then by
comparison Of these records, it w