246 FARM ACCOUNTING 



counting for fertilizer unused, and for fall plowing ami 

 other work performed on a field when such work is not 

 applicable to any crop of the current year. 



2. To enable one to find the unit cost of production on 

 different fields, as a means of testing the relative merits of 

 different crop rotations, fertilizers, methods of cultivation 

 or other theories of management. 



3. To permit the complete separation of one year's crop 

 from the next, when it happens, as is often the case, that 

 one year's crop is not all disposed of before the next one is 

 harvested. 



Field Accounts Contents. Separate accounts are kept 

 with each field, designated l>y number as indicated by the 

 farm plot. A field account is charged at the beginning of 

 a fiscal year with the value of fertilizer unexhausted in the 

 field, with the value of any seed sown but not yet harvested, 

 and for the value of labor, horse labor, use of equipment 

 or other charge for services or expenses incurred on the 

 crop in the ground at that time. The items enumerated 

 constitute what is known as the field inventory or deferred 

 charges carried down from the preceding period. 



During the year the appropriate field account is charged 

 with all expenses for seed, fertilizer, labor, horse labor, 

 equipment use, general expenses, rent, interest on i)> 

 ment and other charges incurred during thr period. 



The appropriate field account is credited at the close of 

 the year with the inventor >( mine of seed, labor, ferti 

 and other items debited to the account during the current 

 year, but which are applicable to the crop of the succeed- 

 ing year or years. Any balance remaining is transferred 

 to the appropriate crop or feed account by crediting the 

 field and debiting the crop account. This entry closes the 

 field account for the year. The inventory of charges to be 

 carried to the operations of the succeeding year is then 

 brought down as a debit balance in the field account. 



