The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-08-13

3
structive service the bankers OF
! any city, or any state, or of the
nation, can perform at this time
is to endeayOr by every means at
their command, to impress upon
the minds of the people the ne
cessity for each individual man,
woman and child striving to prac-
tice the virtue of thrift. James
G. McNary, FL Paso, Texas.
This should be golden year for
American agriculture.
The farmers of the United States
are now engaged in harvesting enor-
nous crops perhaps the greatest ever
produced in this country, government
forecasts indicating a $4,000, 100000
crop yield for 1915.
Big crops and good prices will
quickly make better business for the
railroads. for manufacturers and for
wholesale and retail business gener-
ally. There ought, therefore, to be in
creased prosperity for all of us, and
that is why both city and country are
interested in the crops
Nature has been kind to us. Should
we not be equally kind to ourselves
in the matter of waste-prevention?
American farmers will burn thou
sands of tons of straw that, in Europe,
war-made thrift would cause to be
saved for various uses.
According to one student of the
value of by-products, allowing corn
stalks to evaporate and decay causes
an annual waste of $200G00,0OO. But
progressive farmers are reducing this
waste by using silos to preserve chop
ped corn stalks and other fodder crops
The humble hen is a first aid to the
thrift of the farmers wife, but the de-
partment of agriculture estimates an
annual loss of $4O,OOO,OOO from unnec-
essarily spoiled eggs.
The annual shipment of potatoes
from Maine is $4,000 cars, and it is
said that the average waste is 20 bush
els per car or a total of 100000 BUSH
els.
The yearly waste of vegetables of
all kinds is duplicated by that Of fruit.
The government specialists estimate
that home canning on the farm of
what otherwise would be wasted,
ought to save at least $1OOO0O,O0O an
nually.
But these are large and general
statements. To get right down to
brass tacks," as they say, how can
the farmer actually save money?
He must be tight-fisted or his farm
will not be kept up; he insult not be a
spendthrift or he will get into diff
culties that way. Approaching bank
for a loan the man without a bank ac-
count is handicapped
The farmer who says, 81 wish to buy
twenty steers to fatten for market;
will you loan me some money!" will
stand a good chance of getting the
loan If he says. Our best horse died
and we are hard up; the rent is COM
ing due and the insurance expires to-
morrow; won't you please loan me
$2OO?" The banker feels very sorry
for him but dislikes to risk two hun
dred perfectly good dollars on a farm
er with such an unpromising outlook.
Close cooperation between farmer
and banker ought to enable most ten
ants to become owners if they really
want to own their farms, as they
should.
Many farmers as well as their
wives try to save money by doing all
the work themselves. and after a few
years spend more money than they
saved on both hired help and doctors
bills Sometimes they get beyond the
doctors help in carrying out this plan
for saving money. Some people save
by not insuring their property and
lose everything when their house or
barn burns.
Common-sense saving is the thing
and it is good for everybody, city
dweller and farmer alike.