Agricultural Organization. 257 



looks on outdoor work as productive and account keeping as unpro- 

 ductive. Book-keeping- is a subject which lias not been included in 

 the farmer's education ito the extent that it ought to have been, and 

 even in our agricultural schools and colleges this all-important subject 

 does not receive the attention it should, Mr. Rayman, Chairman of 

 the Legislative Committee of the Wisconsin Society of Equity, very 

 suggestively remarks: " I believe that it will repay an agricultural 

 college many fold to understand that farmers will be quicker to apply 

 scientific methods to their industry after they have learnt the value 

 of science in the conduct of their own business activities, such as in 

 co-operative societies, creameries, and cheese factories, and in associa- 

 tions organized for the purchase of their agriculttiral requirements.^^ 



The ascertaining of agricultural costings involves only the 

 keeping of such financial records as are kept by many farmers, plus 

 " departmental " accounts for the various branches of his farm. 

 These extra "departmental" accounts require the keeping of labour 

 records, of statements of food consumed on the farm, of records of 

 how artificial manure and dung are used, and the analysis of all other 

 expenses chargeable over the various fields or branches of the farm. 



AVithout strict book-keeping and costings one cannot hope for 

 efficiency in one's farming operations. The farmer's books show him 

 whether his past management has been on the best lines, and by 

 judging from results he can vary his present and future policy. A 

 farmer, therefore, who is desirous of obtaining the best possible results 

 must keep books if his farm management is to attain the highest 

 standard. 



In England a number of progressive men have commenced 

 farming on industrial lines. While in England I visited Mr. S. E. 

 Edge, of Gallops Homestead, Sussex, who has become world famous 

 for his pedigree pigs and shorthorn cattle and is held up as a model 

 farmer. He, too, is one of the pioneers of farming on industrial lines. 

 Mr. Edge, it may be explained, was well known in the motor world, 

 but owing to indifferent health exchanged his motor business for 

 that of farming. Having acquired efficiency in the former he applied 

 this knowledge to the business of farming. What is the result? He 

 has been farming for only nine years and is already recogniized as the 

 most successful pig breeder in the world, and it is expected that his 

 shorthorns will soon come into great prominence. When Mr. Edge 

 commenced farming he was blissfully ignorant of the principles of 

 agriculture, but, guided by his former business knowledge, has had 

 an uninterrupted success in farming. 



How many of our farmers keep a record of their costings or even 

 keep books at all? If not, how can they possibly tell which branch 

 of their farming is paying or not? Costings is admittedly more 

 complicated than ordinary book-keeping, but if no accurate account 

 is kept of the expenditure in each branch of farming it is at the best 

 a g-amble. 



South Africa is so often stricken with drought, and yet how many 

 farmers consider it worth while to improve their veld by tillage, 

 fertilizers, etc., and so produce more and better fodder and store it 

 up for the lean years? Let us for a moment compare the English 

 and the South African farmer. The English farmer sows every year 

 a certain portion of his land down to grass in order to provide fodder 







