218 THE BUSINESS OF FAKMING 



right time upon buildings in the way of paint, and 

 general upkeep may, and does, save many dollars. 

 As instance in the painting of buildings. If the 

 farmer would paint his buildings white and apply 

 at intervals of a few years apart of but a single 

 coat of paint, his buildings would not only present 

 a neat appearance, but would be preserved in- 

 definitely. The neglect to nail on the loose board, 

 or the broken door hinge, or the replacing of a 

 rotten fence post, or the closing of barn doors 

 and farm gates, results in the loss of many dollars, 

 which could have been saved with a little foresight 

 and action. The failure to keep machinery in 

 proper repair is a source of great expense which 

 adds much to the cost of operation. 



2d. The use of poor materials in the construc- 

 tion of buildings, fences, etc., and the purchase and 

 use of poor seeds result in the loss of many dol- 

 lars. It never pays to buy the " shoddy " in any- 

 thing. The best is none too good. The purchase 

 of materials for constructing anything upon the 

 farm should be made with the end in view of sub- 

 stituting lasting material for that which soon de- 

 cays, as substituting cement for wood whenever 

 possible. 



3d. The eliminating of the farm fence and re- 

 ducing its use to the minimum, would not only 

 greatly reduce the cost of farm operations, but 

 add untold wealth to the farms of our coun- 

 try by the bringing into cultivation of lands occu- 

 pied with fences, and preserving and increasing 

 the fertility of vast tracts of our farm lands which 

 are tramped to their death by the stock turned 

 upon them to gather a little food, resulting in 



