The sun., 1916-09-18
BOOKKEEPING NEED
OF MILK FARMERS
Ohio Expert Says Product Now
Costs Dairymen 5 Cents
Quart.
ALL SELLING TT AT LOSS
Banker Who Owned Herd Of
Cows Urges System In the
Business.

Joseph c. Bonner. a banker, OF To-
Isdo. Ohio. who Is staying for the pres
ent at the Hotel Belmont in this city.
has written for THE SuN an article
under the heading Nobody Knows the
Cost Of a Quart Of Milk" In his discus
sion Mr.. Bonner declares IN rmers do not
know what profits they obtain becarise
they will not keep books under an accu-
rate system.
Mr.. Bonner Is well ouaiined TO deal
with his subject from many sides. lie
was a farmer boy himself In Ohio. driv-
ing his fathers milk cart for three
years. when he says he often worked
the churn dasher with one hand while
q Latin grammar was In the other"
Besides his banking activities he Is
president Of the Rcnick, Bonne Farm,
Company and Of the Toledo Stock Eek
change since 1908.
In his article Mr.. Bonner contends
that the farmer IL growing poorer In
h milk business because he does not
properly add az the items Of cost in milk
production. II he did this. according to
the banker. the farmer would find on
tho average that Ave cents plus Is the
cost to him Of each quart of milk.
Mr.. Bonner points out that no farmer
receives that price In selling the milk.
"Figures Are Indi%sputable."
Until farmers keep books properly
Mr.. Bonner w they annot be wise
TO the causes of their becoming poorer
losses that accrue now on every quart
OF milk sold from the farms. What I
mean by loss is cost based on the cash
market prices OF feed. 6 per cent. In
tercst figured or pasture land. COW In
vestment interest and depreciation. Ia
Dor. delivery. overhead. cost. Sc.
These figures when added will quickly
show five cents plus to be the cost tno
proht). and no farmer receives that
price. II he should get five cents. 1t Is
evident he only gets the market value OF
material. labor and land interest. These
figures are indisputable."
Mr.. onner cites totals OF the esti-
mated cost of milk to prove his conten-
tons. These totals are made up on the
basis OF a farm cost system. which he has
had published through a large agricui.
tural publishing house. and are drawn
from his own experiences as proprietor
of a farm in Ohio. which he later sold
because the cost system he applied
showed him that a farmer cannot get ar
equitable profit. even when farm wage.
are low.
Cows Yield III Quarts Daily.
sotii1dtiHk tuat tHe bNcTdke we'll leu
cow yields fcu gallons Of milk dali!
the year round. Mr.. Bonner finds thai
with all the items OF cost tabulated tho
cost Of one quart OF milk Is 81 cent!
or $24.13 for 100 gallons n monti
Against this is set the fac, that - Ohic
prices II is sold to a creamery at I;
cents a gallon.
II the milk is churned into butter tn,
cost Is found to he 81 5-lS cents pc
pound, or s31.l4 for sixty pounds in
month. This butter Is sold by tn
farmer at 80 cents a pound.
Everybody knows" continues MI
Bonner. that a farmer hasn't the tim,
nor the inclination to keep a set o
ledger books. nor does the regular Ausi
ness bookkeeping apply 70 tho Mrn
Every feature OF work on a farm re
Quires a different form Of accounting
hence double entry ledger bookkeepin
does not apply. Each undertaking ma,
require a differently ruled and hcade
cost ccount.
"Whilc naturally a farmer must thin
in part for himself. he must use som
system that guarantees 10 work out an,
cost and with the smallest effort to d
~, II should he n system a boy ca
keep. but should not try to account 10
ovory ccnt--that would he foolish. sue
work will establish the moneymakin
habit by a system zach as the modcr
business man practises. The farme
will then know the exact value OF every
thing bought, produced or sold.