1 May, 1902.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 331 
let this become a law or rule of the farm. Of course, this way may be changed 
from time to time as more knowledge is gained, or new ideas acquired which 
would seem to warrant a change. But let no change be made without due 
and mature deliberation. A good system on the farm will carefully lay out 
all work to be done in advance of the time of doing it, so that when the time 
arrives when it should be done there may be no unnecessary delay by not 
haying everything in readiness. 
A good system provides for a regular method of feeding the stock at 
stated hours every day. When stock are fed and watered at the same hour, 
they thus become accustomed to the hour of feeding, and thrive much better 
than they would if fed at different times on each succeeding day. 
The careless way in which many implements are looked after causes the loss 
of many pounds to the farmer, who often can ill afford it. If you will observe 
the thrifty and successful man, you will see that all his farming implements are 
taken good care of, while many men who complain of the hardness of the 
times allow their wagons, ploughs, and other implements to remain exposed 
to the weather when not in use, thereby causing them to rot and rust, doing 
more injury in a month’s exposure than by a year’s careful use. There should 
be a place on every farm to keep all wagons and other tools under cover. 
They should be kept well painted, and a workshop provided so that all slight 
repairs could be attended to in the winter season, or on rainy days. How 
many farmers leave their work to get some bolt repaired, and lose, perhaps, 
several hours in going to the nearest blacksmith’s shop, when, had they used 
a little care, they might have averted the expense by a little forethought or 
examination of the implement before it was wanted for use. 
Then, again, many farmers often lose by not observing the ordinary 
principles of business. When they have an article to sell, need the money, 
and have no use for the article, then they should sell, even if the price is not 
uite what they thought it should be. When they depart from this principle 
they are speculating, and run the risk of lossin more ways than one. Another 
leak in this connection might be mentioned, the keeping of animals about the 
lace which do not pay for their keep. If he has more horses than he needg 
; ie carrying on the work of the farm, then he should sell what he does not 
need, at anything like a reasonable figure. If he has a cow, which, though she 
may be giving milk, does not give a sufficient quantity to justify her care and 
food, she should be turned off, and her place filled with another, which will 
yield a profit for her owner. ~ 
Then farmers sometimes lose money because of their knowledge. They 
know too much, so much in fact that they think it impossible to know more. 
They think there is nothing to be learned from others, and that any new idea is 
sheer nonsense. Although this class is of small numbers, in proportion to the 
many wideawake men at present engaged in farming, yet there are far more of 
them than there ought to be, and the sooner they wake up, the sooner will they 
reap larger rewards for their own benefit. I care not how gooda farmer a man 
may be, he can gain ideas from other farmers which will be of value to him. 
The men who have been successful, and have made money at farming, are 
certainly capable of imparting valuable information to those who have not the 
same experience, or attained the same degree of success. E 
How many farmers there are who do not subscribe for a paper devoted to 
farming ; these men are certainly losing money by this false economy. In this 
age of progress it is ideas that count; the “know how” that brings the 
money. A single idea may be learned from a paper, which, when put into 
practice, may represent a gain in money value of many times the subscription 
price of the paper. 
Another leak which takes money out of the farmer’s pocket is neglect in 
keeping fences and buildings in proper repair. he old saying, “ For the want. 
of a nail the shoe comes off,” is peculiarly appropriate in this connection. 
The expenditure of a few shillings for nails and timber may result in the 
saying of feed, and the additional comfort of the stock before the onset of the 
