The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-03-11

IAN IL SANSii SCll as uiuCu idtl-
tude as possible in this title, so
that may say what please, with
out being accused of being off my
subject. Farm management is such
a large subject that | can only cover
a small part of the field in the time
allotted me. What | shall say is
largely CLEANED from As years of
actual experience on the farm, and
my somewhat extensive acquaintance
with farmers and farm methods, OBJ
tanned in doing farmers institute
work in my own and several other
states III the past IL or II years.
| believe first of all the farmer
should, if possible, know the cost of
everything produced on the farm. In
counting this cost, we are not apt to
count our own labor, or that of the
family, or board, or the depreciation
on horses and machinery, or interest
on our investment.
II the general gain does not exceed
the cost of production, all these con-
sldered, then he should try to deter
mine wherein the difficulty lies. This
Will necessitate keeping a record of
his farm operations; for unless he
has some record, he has no way OF
knowing which of his enterprises are
failures or which are making him
money.
He is quite likely to attribute sue
cess or failure to the wrong cause.
This is to be expected since there are
so many factors that so to make up
success or failure.
Ignorance of Finance.
In talking with large number of
farmers in regard to the most profit
able crops to be raised on the farm,
| have found but few who have any
IDEA OF the cost of growing the crops
they are growing every year; and
when told of some of the things
found out by the farm MANAGEMENT
department of our state colleges of
agriculture, they are ready to dis
credit the findings, In order to de-
termine for themselves If possible.
Just What crops were paying, a num-
Der or farmers with whom | am ac-
qualnted, made up their minds it
would be a good thing for them to
study their farms from business
standpoint. They instituted system
OF bookkeeping which had as its OBJ
Ject the determination of the depart
ments on their farms that were pro-
ducing them the most money.
These men were all successful
farmers, and regarded in their re-
spective communities as being pro-
gressive and up-to-date. The case of
one or two will illustrate: The first
was farming we'll and keeping up the
fertility of his soil by growing live
stock and rotating crops. He fed cat
tie and sheep, raised hogs, milked
cows, gave some attention to poultry
and horses; he grew wild hay, timo-
thy, clover, alfalfa, weat and oats
Concentration Best.
1t would seem that a man who was
growing so many things would sue
ceed, but my farmer friend found
when he balanced his books that sew
eral departments of his farm were
actually losing him money and that
there were four principal lines that
We're making him most; these were
nogs, dairy, corn and alfalfa, with
Winter wheat closely following.
He concluded that if he would
make farming business he should
drop the Improbable lines and de-
vote his time to those that were pay
ing him well. After doing this he
found that his yearly profits were
doubled, and since he devotes all his
time to these few things instead Of
many, he believes his earnings will
still further increase.
Another farmer found he was MAX
ing more money on what most farm
ers would call the small things on
the farm. His orchard, poultry and
garden were yielding him more than
the other departments of his farm;
so he sold a portion of his land and
devoted his time to these things. He
is making more money than he was
before. This, of course, is partly due
to his being, especially fitted for this
line of work, and because of his loca-
tion.
Get Informed.
The farmer who is to be the most
successful in the management Of his
farm should avail himself of all in
formation within his reach; and Just
here let me say that the farmer of
today has many advantages over the
farmer of As years ago, when | began
&rt, E..