| Show THE LESSON OF THE TIMES Those manufacturing enterprises that made money during the past eighteen months of depression and low prices have done so by cutting down expenses This has been accomplished to some extent II tent by reducing wages but in many factories expenditures have been cut off that were formerly considered indispensable Indispen-sable Greater economies In every department de-partment have been practiced and many a concern has paid dividends during the past year only by reason of these sav ings A familiar instance of such economy Is afforded by the great packing houses at Chicago Dressed beef frequently sells In the foreign markets at a less price per pound than live cattle because of the profits obtained on the byproducts such as hides horns hoofs blood entrails and the like Every particle of these is util ized in the manufacture of leather fer tlllzers buttons handles etc The cot ton grower would have been bankruptet long before now but for the fact that cotton seed Is now turned to an excellent purpose and the planters receipts from this source in a measure make up his losses on lint cotton and account for the constantly increasing acreage under this crop in spite of decreasing prices Cot ton mills are using noils and waste in making coarse cloths mop stuff etc where a few years ago all this waste wa goid for little or nothing to be used as oil wipers etc The same purpose and economy is found alf through our Indus tries Now the lesson of tho times Is that we must apply like economy to our work on the farm It has frequently been said that our western and southern farmers In spite of prosperity wasted enough to support a Yankee farmer and his tam ny The destruction of farm machinery by not being properly cared for is strong evidence in this direction The careful farmer feeds to his cows and sheep the leaves from his cabbage patch or the straw from his bean field which others would waste or make no use of All the odds and ends of crops that cannot be marketed to advantage are fed out or otherwise utilized by the farmer who Is getting on Such farmers are careful to buy only what they actually need and in Belling their produce gob as close as they can to the consumer and to the highest retail prices They plan their work so as to have the least expense for hired help and like the factory manager strive for the greatest and most profit able production at the least expense There is yet much that can be done on this line by the individual farmer but there is a still larger margin to be saved by buying togqthcr and selling together While the Individual thus practices econ omy on his farm he must study cooperation cooper-ation with his neighbors and put it in 3 practice as rapidly as common sense methods for so doing are devised Amer lean Agriculturist |
