12 INTRODUCTION 



the problem of agricultural production are of the opinion 

 that this will be, one day, the experience of farm managers 

 likewise. There is, however, a degree of exactness required 

 in cost determinations which may be so troublesome, and 

 so expensive of time and labour when judged by the general 

 standard of the business organization of the average farm, 

 that it would not be profitable for the ordinary farmer. 

 But this possibility does not affect the importance of having, 

 in a number of cases, an exhaustive and scientific analysis 

 of farming costs, and if this can be done on a number of 

 typical farms the results will have a value as supplying 

 standards of comparison. 



In this country research work on these lines is still in its 

 infancy, and it has not yet reached the stage at which 

 generalizations can be made. It cannot be stated too 

 plainly, therefore, that it is with the discussion and illustra- 

 tion of the method of scientific analysis of farming costs 

 that this volume is concerned rather than with the results 

 attained to, so far, by its application. But although informa- 

 tion of general application is not yet forthcoming, students 

 of the economy of agricultural production will realize that 

 a thorough analysis, even of only a few actual cases, based 

 on records carefully and systematically kept, is of interest 

 and value, for it will be admitted that certain comparatively 

 constant factors may be discerned even in a small amount 

 of exact data, while, at the same time, contrasts and varia- 

 tions will be noted which challenge attention. 

 . Further, the analysis of such accounts brings out the need 

 for method even more exact than has yet been found 

 possible. Problems are encountered which call for discus- 

 sion amongst those interested before satisfactory solutions 

 can be expected, and illustrations of this will be noted in 

 cases which occur where information is lacking which 

 should be available in an exact system of records (see, for 

 example, pp. 78 and 91). It is hoped that the discussion 

 and study of these matters will lead to an extension of 

 research work, by means of scientific book-keeping, on the 

 economics of farming, and that it may induce a certain 



