FARM MANAGEMENT 399 



involves at least as much business ability and tact as 

 is required in operating a store or mercantile establish- 

 ment doing the same volume of business. 



A farmer must have a knowledge of the elements 

 of soil fertility, of the principles of the movement of 

 soil water, of soil bacteria and their action, of plant 

 growth, of varieties and species of plants, of the effect 

 of one crop on the crop following, and of the care -of 

 seeds and forage. 



He must also understand animals and how to feed 

 and care for them, and in addition he must know how 

 to buy and sell to advantage, to make contracts, and 

 to plan his buildings and farm so as to economize labor 

 and distribute it to advantage. 



The farm manager who would successfully conduct 

 his business may profit by the example of the merchant. 

 The merchant takes an inventory of his stock, con- 

 siders the demand for his goods, both present and pro- 

 spective, notes the supply and cost of each article of 

 commerce, the labor required to operate his business and 

 any other items of expense that may be legitimate to 

 the business, and regulates his purchases and prices 

 accordingly. If the business is large, it is organized 

 into departments with the labor and accounting so 

 systematized as to show the profit or loss from each 

 department and from the business as a whole. The 

 farm manager should likewise take an inventory of his 

 capital, stock, and equipment. He should consider 

 the fertility of the soil and the demands that will be 

 made upon it by the crops grown, the sources from 

 which fertility may be renewed and at what cost ; he 

 must study the markets and demands for the various 

 crops and the possibility of handling them at a profit; 



