466 



Report of Farmers' Institutes 



times it is the old homestead, or the farm may have come into the 

 hands of the present owner through an investment made when 

 conditions were entirely different than they are now. The problem 

 for each of ns is how to manage the farm we have so as to increase 

 not only the profits from the investment but also the fertility of 

 the soil. 



BUSINESS management OF THE FARM AND FARM ACCOUNTS 



We sometimes hear the farmer compared to the business man. 

 Why is the farmer not generally recognized as a business man ? 



Fig. 586. — Mutton Sheep, a Valuable Product of New York 



State Farms 



He is engaged in the business that was first established on the 

 earth, the business that has the largest investment, the business 

 that is of the greatest importance to the world, and the business 

 of all others that needs the most careful use of the best business 

 methods that are adapted to it. Yet we find few farmers who can 

 tell how much capital they have invested in their business, the net 

 profit or loss on the investment, or the cost of production of any 



