The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-03-11
Farmer Views Farm Management
By o. Hull.

iaiy Vi ouT tdliutTS uU uUl SeelH u
appreciate the work being done for
them by our state and National De-
partments of Agriculture.
By cooperating with the farm man.
agement of these departments the
farmer may be materially helped in
the management of his own farm, by
having solved for him many of the
problems, that should he attempt to
solve alone, will cost him money and
much valuable time.
Value of Facts.
In my own state some very inter
esting things have been brought to
light regarding the cost of growing
some of the standard crops. One
thing shown was the close relation
of the fertility of our soil to the cost
of production. For example, land
that was only yielding "a bushels per
acre was made to yield ga bushels
per acre, after having been seeded to
clover or alfalfa few years and then
plowed up and planted to corn, and
this with little or no additional ex-
pense per acre; also the yield was
increased IL bushels per acre by the
application of barnyard manure.
Facts of this kind should materi-
ally aid us in planning our rotation
on the farm: being sure to have some
legume in the rotation, and instead
OF selling our grain, and burning our
straw and cornstalks, we should feed
most of it to stock on the farm and
thus get a larger cash return for the
present, and sure return for the
future.
The farmer Is entitled to fair
rate of interest on his investment,
as much as the merchant or the bank
er, and should receive at least labor
er's wages for himself and family. If
he is not getting this, he is not get
ting what belongs to him. OF course,
this may not show in money at the
end of the year. it may show in bet
ter buildings, grain on hand, or an in
creased number of livestock.
Farm an Investment.
A man should not buy farm mere
" to work and earn living; it ought
to be an investment from which he
has right to expect a reasonable re-
turn. A careful man should, there
fore, not only take an inventory of
his property each year but he should
Keep accounts with every important
enterprise on the farm. His books
should contain besides the accounts
with the persons with whom he deals.
accounts With cornfields, oatfields,
hayfields, pastures, cattle, hogs,
horses, machinery and at least once
a year he should balance these ac
counts and thus determine, not only
his loss or gain, but what enterprises
have paid best, or which have proven
failure, thus permitting him to plan
more wisely for the future.
Another agency that the farmer
should reckon with in making his
plans on the farm is the agricultural
expert or agent. believe we should
encourage the Afpointment of these
agents In every county at least. He,
with his expert training, together
with the farmers practical knowl-
edge, will help to solve many prob
lens that confront us on the farm.
Value of Expert.
II there are no other means pro-
yided for paying this expert, | be-
lieye it would amply repay the farm
ers to furnish the necessary funds for
this purpose.
If the right man is secured for this
work, he may not only help us in the
management of our farm work, and
the breeding and care of livestock,
but he may be the means of bringing
about moral and intellectual uplift
in the community in which his work
is done.
Thus far we have dealt with this
subject OF farm management largely
with view OF securing the largest
possible yields. While large yields
are certainly very important, maxi
mum yield and the most successful
farming do not necessarily go to-
gether. The only way the success of
the farm can be rightly judged is
that of the net income of the whole
farm, provided the fertility of the
farm has not been impaired.
Farm management consid ders.
among other things, what enterprises
shall be undertaken on the farm, how
they shall be arranged, and how in
detail they shall be conducted in Or