NOTES 



American Farm Management Association. — The fifth annual meeting of this 

 association was held in Washington, D. C, November 9 and 10, 1914, with an 

 unusually large attendance and marked interest. 



The address of the president, D. H. Otis, dealt with The Farm Manager Well 

 Trained. Professor Otis claimed that farm management consists in coordinat- 

 ing all the forces connected with agriculture to the farmer's financial gain. 

 Courses in farm management should be practical, based on the accounts of 

 Individual farmers, and should develop executive and business ability. He 

 favored requiring active farm experience of all farm management students, 

 and claimed that it is better to have students work on good farms at a low 

 wage than on poor farms at a better wage. The system of accredited farms 

 which has been developed in Wisconsin was explained. 



Reports were received from the standing committees on teaching and in- 

 vestigation. The former committee presented through K. C. Livermore, chair- 

 man, detailed outlines of the courses in farm management in several agri- 

 cultural colleges. It was found that of 40 colleges reporting, 38 offered farm 

 management as a separate study in 1913-14, an average of four hours' credit 

 being allowed exclusive of advanced and seminar courses. Suggestions for 

 the arrangement of elementary courses and replies to various questions sub- 

 mitted were also included. Some differences of opinion were found as to the 

 proportion of time which should be allotted to farm management, the require- 

 ment of this subject of all agricultural students, and prerequisites for admis- 

 sion to this course, including farm exi^erience. The consensus of opinion was 

 unfavorable to the operation of separate farm management farms to demon- 

 strate business methods. The cooperation of Institutions in the exchange of 

 illustrative material was advocated. 



The committee on investigation, J. A. Foord, chairman, recommended the 

 utilization of a central agency such as the Office of Farm Management of 

 tills Department to serve as a clearing house for the exchange of projects. 

 The appointment of a special committee on standardization of terms used In 

 farm management was also suggested. 



F. A. Pearson discussed the Fundamental Principles in Keeping Farm 

 Accounts. He claimed that farmers should be organized to keep accounts and 

 stated that in Illinois associations had been formed for this purpose, in 

 several instances the work of the local cow testing associations being used 

 as a medium. D. H. Otis outlined a form of accounting wherein by the 

 mechanical arrangement of the book iised a farmer can carry on his accounts 

 with as little posting as possible. 



O. R. Johnson considered the use of the farm diary in farm management 

 investigations, and stated that because of the large amount of labor required 

 to keep farm records, efforts should be made to simplify the usual method as 

 much as possible. A method that he has devised requires the proprietor to 

 make all reports for the day on a single sheet, a chore statement at the end 

 of the month, and a feeding statement when changes in feeding or in the 

 number of live stock took place. These records are transmitted to the central 

 292 



