338 ELEMENTS OF FARM PRACTICE 



expects his money invested to be worth a certain rate of 

 interest. That is, he c'ould loan his money at a fair rate 

 of interest, if it were not invested in the farm. If he did 

 not consider rent as an item of cost against each crop, he 

 might apparently make a profit in his farming operations 

 while in reality he was losing — that is, growing crops at a 

 loss, but making more than wages on his labor on account 

 of the income on his investment. In such case, he had 

 better sell his farm and loan his money at 5% or 6% interest. 



Questions: 



1. For what reasons should a farmer keep accounts? 



2. In what way does a farmer buy the hogs, milk, etc., that he 

 sells from the farm? 



3. Why is land rent one of the items in the cost of production, 

 even though a man may own his land? 



Arithmetic: 



1. If a farmer feeds a cow each day for 200 days 25 lbs. of hay 

 worth S5.00 per ton and 6 lbs. of grain worth $20.00 per ton, what is 

 the cost for feed for the 200 days? 



2. If pasture for a cow is worth $1.00 per month, what is the 

 cost of pasturing a cow 165 days? 



3. If 3^ hour per day is required to care for a cow during the 

 200 days she is kept in the barn, and ^ hoar per day for the 165 days 

 she is pastured, how many hours of labor are required to care for a 

 cow a year? What is this labor worth at 18c. per hour? 



4. What is the total cost of feed and labor for the cow for the 

 year? How many pounds of butter-fat must she give in the year to 

 pay for these items, if butter-fat is worth 30c. per pound? 



LIVE STOCK ACCOUNTS 



Making Work Interesting. — Nearly every farm boy, 

 while he is attending school, has more or less work with 

 the stock at home. This work done mornings and even- 

 ings, often under unfavorable conditions, is sometimes un- 

 interesting to say the least, though it is as valuable a part 

 of one's education as are the things one learns at school. 

 Keeping records with the various classes of stock, so that 

 one knows which class is giving the best returns for feed 

 and the highest price per hour for labor, adds to the work 

 an interest that can be gained in no other way. 



In order to know the profits or losses of an enterprise, 

 certain charges must be made and deducted from the value 

 of the product. The main charges against live stock are: 

 depreciation, interest on investment, feed, labor, shelter. 



