13G Farm Accounts. 



weighed, a market price put upon it, and the various accounts to 

 which each article belongs credited weekly with the consumption 

 by the horses. For instance, the hay account would be credited 

 by so many trusses or hundredweights consumed by horses. 



Returning for a moment to the case of a field : supposing it to 

 bear swedes, partly consumed on the ground by sheep, partly 

 carted to the farm. We must value the quantities of tons for 

 each purpose, and charge to the cattle and sheep at a consuming 

 price. Just see the difficulty and complicated nature of such 

 accounts. 



It is impossible that men of ordinary abilities, and with much 

 on their hands, could keep such accounts, and even Avhen done, 

 the probability is that the valuations would be inaccurate, and we 

 should have a fictitious profit appearing on some accounts and 

 an unnatural loss on others. 



Well, indeed, may practical men despair of keeping accounts, 

 when such unpractical systems are brought before their notice. 



In order that an insight may be obtained at any period of the 

 year of the state of the farm balance, a stock account in the Ledger 

 is to be recommended, and at the end of every month the amount 

 of sales, whether for cash or credit, should be entered on the Cr. 

 side of this account, and all purchases or expenses incurred, 

 whether paid for or not, on the Dr. side. The particulars will 

 be readily procurable from the Journal at a very trifling amount 

 of labour, and it becomes a very useful account, not only showing 

 the exact position of the receipts and payments from month to 

 month, liut at the end of the year furnishes us with a check upon 

 the accuracy of the Ledger accounts, as it should show, in one 

 amount, the same result as these various accounts together. By 

 heading the Dr. side with the gross valuation at the commence- 

 ment of the year, and the Cr. side with the gross valuation at the 

 end of the year, this stock account furnishes a balance-sheet. 



If any farmers think that the keeping a Ledger entails too much 

 time, and are satisfied with seeing the result as a whole without 

 caring for the particulars of profit and loss on each branch of 

 trade, a statement of this sort may be very easily extracted from 

 the Journal and the Labour-book. 



Indeed, rent, &c,, labour, food and manures purchased, and live 

 stock bought, l)eing deducted, the remainder of the outgoings may 

 be entered as sundry payments. With regard to the Cr. side, 

 live stock and corn sold will form the principal receipts, and the 

 other items may appear In a lump as sundry receipts. Such a 

 statement may be made at the end of the year, or monthly ; in- 

 deed, a little amplification of the stock account would answer all 

 the purpose. But I cannot recommend the substitution of such 

 a statement for the regular Ledger. 



