Baxter Springs news., 1919-06-27
KINSIhEEEEB00Ks
ON HIS FARM
Knows Exactly the Profit
and Loss on His Grain
and Livestock

and Livestock
From the Weekly Kansas City Star.
G. H. Butler Of Frankfort, Kas-, !
!. one farmer who believes in keeping
as close account Of all the operation
; and transactions on the farm a. an
; merchant, manufacturer or bankel
who keeps q set Of books and balances
them up at the end Of each day.
Mr.. Butler has figures to show JUS
what the production of each Of th'
different farm crops on his farm hal
averaged the last ten years, and h
can tell you to o penny just what HI
has made or lost on his cattle feeding
operations during the same period, Oh
for the last thirty-fOur year, for that
matter. In fact, It is said he keeps
closer account Of his business thar
any other farmer in Kansas.
What crop does It pay best to grow
in Marshall Countyi Consult Mr.
Buffers figures, and they will tell you
that the average return an acre the
last ten years has been $11.SS fol-
oats, $12.56 for corn, $17.59 for wheat
and $21.30 for alfalfa.
What IL the average acre yield OF
these different crops, and the average
price received for them during the
ten-year periodi Again Mr.. Buffers
figures will show that the. average
yield Of oats has been twenty-three
bushels an acre, and the price received
forty-nine cents bushel; the average
yield Of corn sixteen bushels an acre,
and the average price seventy-eight
and one-hah cents n bushel; the av-
erage yield Of wheat sixteen bushels
an acre and the average price $1.10 q
bushel; the average yield Of alfalfa
two and one-fourth tons an acre, and
the average price $10.80 q ton.
Mr.. Buffers figures show that for
the county the surest crop is wheat,
which has made from ten TO twenty
three bushels an acre for the last ten
years. Oats is credited with two COM
plete failures in the ten years and
corn has been a complete failure once.
Alfalfa has never been a complete
failure, but il made only half q ton to
the acre in 1918.
Mr.. Butler knows he has fed 1907
head of cattle in the last ten years and
1870 head in the thirty-fOur years
he has been in the business. Figures
show that he has made money six
years and lost money four years in
his feeding the last decade. They also
show a variation ranging from a loss
of 1891 q head in 1914 to profit
of $29.29 q head in 1016-17.
Further examination Of the figures
will show why each steer was $4S.2O
more profitable in 1916-17 than in
1894. According to Mr.. Buffers
books he bought cattle in the fall Of
1918 at $7.12 a hundred and sold them
as finished beef animals weighing
1854 pounds each at $8.77 a hundred
in the spring Of 1914, having q spread
of only $1.65 q hundred. This spread
was far less than that in 1916-17,
when he bought at 500 q hundred
and sold at $12.19 a hundred, spread
of $50.
The difference in spread was not the
only factor to cause the difference, for
corn was only fOrty-two cents BUSH
ell in 1884, while It was eighty-four
cents, or just twice as much, in 1916
II. Alfalfa, however, was $4.29 cheap
er in the latter year. The factor that
caused the greater difference was
muddy feed lots in February and
March, 1914, which made the gains
for the two months exactly the same
as they had been during the one month
Of January preceding. This means
that one months feed was lost be-
cause Of muddy lots.
Mr.. Buffers figures show that Of
the 2,9O7 steers put into the feed lots
in the last ten years all but six
.....L,l xI,o ,,.avl,ok ohoxrino, fhat fha