VERMONT AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 39 



many other things, and will last a life time if your neighbor does 

 not borrow it and forget to bring it home. 



Now I want to talk to you about the farm accounts and cor- 

 respondence. How many farmers know exactly what they are 

 worth ? or whether they are making or losing ? How does the 

 merchant manage about this ? He takes an inventory every year. 

 Now let me advise all of you who have not already done so, as 

 soon as may be after this meeting is over, to take an inventory of 

 everything that you own. Make a complete list of everything of 

 value that you possess. Put the figures where they belong — don't 

 let them lie to you. This inventory is going to be for your own 

 information and not for publication, nor for exhibition among 

 your neighbors, so put down everything at what you judge it to 

 be actually worth in dollars and cents. Appraise your farm, your 

 horses, your cows, hay, grain, wagons, tools, machines, house- 

 hold effects, money, notes and bills due you — everything that has 

 a money value. And then make another list of your liabilities. 

 Set down everything that you owe. Strike the balance and see 

 what you are worth. Keep a record of this inventory in your 

 account book, and next year when the first of January comes 

 around you will have it to refer to, and can make the new inven- 

 tory with very little trouble. 



Keep an account of all your business transactions. An or- 

 dinary two quire ledger is just the thing for the small farmer. 

 This places four columns before you. If you charge up a bill, set 

 it in the first column ; if you receive cash, set it in the second 

 column of the left hand page, and if you get trusted set the 

 amount in the first column, and if you pay cash set it in the sec- 

 ond column of the right hand page. Fix up your book every 

 night, regularly, and foot up at the end of every month. At the 

 end of the year square it all up, collect what bills are due you and 

 pay those that you owe. Look over your year's account and see 

 where you have spent money foolishly, you maj' learn something. 

 When you buy your account book get also a pad of bill heads and 

 a letter file. When business-like men pay bills they want a re- 

 ceipted bill, and it is a very easy matter to make out a neat bill 

 upon the printed blank. There are various kinds of letter files, 

 but the Springfield file costs only 25 cents, and answers every 

 purpose. It will hold all your letters for a year or two, all ar- 

 ranged in alphabetical order where you can turn to them on a 

 moment's notice. Don't destroy your letters, keep them where 

 you can find them. It may mean dollars to you. 



Don't keep much money about you. Put it on deposit in 

 some national bank and make your payments by check. You 

 then avoid possibility of loss and have a receipt for every bill yon 

 pay. Every time you draw a check balance up on the stub so that 



