BOOK-KEEPING ON THE FARM 



WHILE farmers are very generally adopting scienlific methods in 

 tilling the soil, managing their crops and feeding stock, they are 

 still slow to recognize the benefits to be derived from keeping a system- 

 i;tic set of books. 



Farming is a diversified business of considerable magnitude. The 

 farmer pays out a large sum of money through many channels during 

 the year and his income is from various sources. As a good business 

 man he should know the cost of productions and maintenance, not 

 only of his operations as a whole, but of each specific operation. He 

 should know the cost of producing a bushel of grain, corn, potatoes 

 or any other product of the soil. He should know the cost of 

 feeding cattle and hogs and the net earnings of his dairy. If he keeps a 

 record of these tnings he will know which feature to improve and encour- 

 age and which to eliminate. 



The farmer, like the merchant, should make a complete inventory of 

 all of his possessions at least once a year, placing on each item a fair 

 cash value. With each succeeding inventory he should add to it, 

 if his property has increased, and he should also make a reasonable 

 reduction for depreciation, especially of the perishable property. 



Many farmers hesitate, believing that book-keeping is intricate 

 and hard to master and that it will require too much time. This, 

 however, is not the case. A modified system is very simple and to 

 make daily records will require but a few moments of the farmer's 

 time. If the farmer can interest his boys or girls in book-keeping, 

 they will take delight in keeping the records and reporting from time 

 to time just what each department of the farm is doing. 



