FARM MANAGEMENT 



CHAPTER 1 

 SHALL I BE A FARMER? 



WHEN one is trying to decide as to the best occupation 

 to follow, he should first consider the personal characteris- 

 tics that are necessary for success in the kind of work 

 that he proposes to undertake. Some persons, who may 

 succeed well in the very specialized callings in the town 

 or city, may not be qualified for farming, because farming 

 calls for such versatile ability. The farmer is a combina- 

 tion of business man, mechanic, naturalist, and laborer. 



1. The farmer as a business man. In the days of 

 our fathers the farm family raised practically everything 

 that it needed. The few things not raised were received 

 in trade at the village store. A few dollars a year were 

 sufficient for the family needs. The measure of the 

 farmer's success was his ability to raise his own food and 

 clothing rather than his ability to organize his business 

 and buy and sell. The changes that took place in agri- 

 culture from the time David tended his flocks up to the 

 last century, were small in comparison with the revolu- 

 tion that has since occurred. With the introduction of 

 machinery in the factory and on the farm, money has 

 become necessary for the farmer. The farm no longer 

 supplies his needs. He sells most of his products and 



