Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1916-01-15

didn't bring in a profit PROFIT in
farming, is the excess of receipts over
cost of any specified farming opera
tion. If there is no such excess, there
is nothing on earth to use for that
living" If it costs $50 to raise a
hundred bushels of potatoes and they
sell for just $50, how on earth is any
mans Giving to come out of that
raise and sell for $50, then there's SIS
gathered in for the producers living. .
But that $25 is profit, isn't it? What
else can it be called2
Another farmer know of keeps bees.
When I asked him once how much
profit he reckoned they gave him, he
responded, again with some shaw of
irritation, that he didn't keep no
books: all he knew was that the honey
brought in a nice little bit of money
when it came very hand
Years ago, when was doing what is
called general farming became dis
| satisfied with the annual results. 1t
didn't seem to me that 1 was getting
anything like the money 1 ought to
get from my. long hours of hard work.
But, at the time, / couldn't seem to
see where the trouble was. 1t took
me two years of study before found
out had to keep-not books, for 1
share the common farmer feeling that
farm bookkeeping on the ordinary
small New England farm is all poppy
cock-but had to keep tab on each
| one of more than dozen separate
crops, ETC., for two years.
For example: there were so many
acres of oats; every bit of work done
on them was charged to them at reg
ular wage rates. the seed was charged;
! interest on the investment was
charged; their proper share of fence
maintenance and insurance and taxes
vera cha road. the fhrnShnrraaP11c hill
was charged; cost of delivery to the
purchaser was charged, except for that
part kept on the farm for feeding out
This portion was credited to the field
at the same price per bushel as that
received for those sold. The result of
two years test on this particular crop
showed me that it returned me just
fifteen cents day wages-and nothing
morei
Whether my land is totally unsuited
for oats, or whether don't know how
to raise them and can't learn is. not a
point worth quarreling about The
fact disclosed to me by careful and
painstaking study was that this par
ticular crop, which had been grown, as
a matter of course and of regular rou-
| tine on this farm for a hundred years,
didn't and: wouldn't pay me the cost Of
raising andseven boys wages, ~
On the other side, my two years test
ISIOWeu IllaC cOfns WneInof ye1lOW flint
for feeding or sweet corn for market
ing, not only paid all expenses of rails
| ing and fair wages for the raiser, but
also gave an additional profit of some
thing like so per cent.
f. Again, I don't profess to know
whether the cause is in my peculiar
soil or in me. Nor do / much care
The result is the same, anyhow Corn
is a profitable crop for me to produce:
oats are not. Therefore I grow corn
and have entirely stopped sowing oats;
haven't had spear of them on the
place in fifteen years.
A similar test, similarly made, on my
sman dairy, was quite as illuminating.
All the labor and all the feed for the
cows and their prorata share of other
expense were charged to them, the
feed bought at what 1 paid for it,
that which l raised at the price
could have sold it for My cows were
Jersey grades. We sold a little milk
but mostly made butter. And my two
years comparison of cost with income
showed me that every single thing
got. to pay me for my work was the use
of the manure. One year I made
few dollars; the next 1 lost a few dol
lars. The two years together brought
me out just even, excepting that 1 had
the manure.
Well, manure is an excellent thing,
but just where the object lies in max
ing manure to raise crops to feed to
cows to make more manure-and moth
ing else-.is not clear to me.
Yet, from what 1 see and hear and
read, fancy this is just about what
three-quarters of the dairymen of New
England are doing-selling their milk