The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-04-24
WHY FARMERS FALL SHORT.
Reasons Advanced by F. H. Abbott, Re
firing County Agent.

Writing in the Washington County
Farm Bureau News, +. Fl. Abbott, who
recently retired as Washington county
farm agent, gives his views on why
farmers hereabouts do not make more
money. He writes:
Il must take this last chance to harp
again upon some of the reasons why
farmers in some of these necks of the
woods do not make more money. In the
first place, there is the class of well To
do farmers, who own, or nearly own,
their farms and who use the natural in
terest from their property to live on
thus keeping the man who has a mort
gage on his farm for all il is worth,
strapped for capital and even to make
the interest, 60 say nothing about pay
ments on the principal, Instance; Two
farmers side by side, equal in farming
ability, are on equally good farms with.
say 81 900 each. A, owns his clear OF
debt, BIS is mortgaged for $4,000, on
which he has to make payment OF inter.
est at 9 per cent and payment on prin-
cipal of 5000 per year, or total pay
ment of $3.50
with reasonable success the farm in
come in each case should be at least
81 800, out of this both A. and B. have
to pay living expenses, groceries and
clothes, which will cost them at least
$500 each. Out of the balance of 81 600
B. has to pay $3.50 on interest and mort
gage, leaving him only $3.50 to keep up
repairs, improve the property and buy
new stock or tools, while A. has the full
81 900 to use in increasing his business
buying better stock and making improve
ments. Consequently A. thinks he is
pretty we'll off, and does not Join with
b. in BIS demand for better price. A
is always first TO break down ia his de.
mand for better prices and is ready to
undersell B. in the market, because he
does not have TO have the money to keep
going, whereas, ii he had TO stand up in
the same rack as B., both parties would
be better off
Secondly, the sale Of wood and lum.
Der has for long time been one of the
main methods Of paying for farms. Thi.
may be good business, but it is not good
agriculture Crops and stock should be
considered on their merits alone, instead
Of being supported from such sources as
this. Meantime, while this is being
done, the man trying to make a success
OF farming without resorting to his lum.
Der or wood lot, or if he has none, is up
against the competition of the man who
has sold his lumber to pay for the farm
and on this account the latter is not Sc
keen to join in demand for prices on
straight agricultural products, that will
allow them to stand alone.
Thirdly, why this Misunderstanding
| answer as follows Lack of informa.
tion, failure TO collect and disseminate
statistics, failure on the part of the
farmer to keep records of his business
that viii determine the relative standing
OF his projects, and finally his failure to
use his records in cooperative manner
If he does have them, but keeping them
to himself and holding them as an ad.
vantage over his neighbors.
start on the right track Of helping
your business and the agricultural in.
dustry in general, by applying at this
Office for your farm account book, &c
start on April or May l5.'