The writer believes that farmers should store and hold their grain and not sell so largely at harvest time. This practice throws a surplus of grain on the market, which usually results in low prices and less profits to the farmer, and perhaps not always greater profits to the dealer. Grain may be stored and kept for a time in small quantities with less loss to the growers than to the dealers when the same grain is bought and stored in large quantities. This is especially true with corn, much of which is sold in the fall and early winter, too damp to keep well when stored in large quantities. It is true also of wheat and other grain that, when hauled from the threshing machine, it may be too damp to store in large elevators. There is a risk to the dealers in handling such grain, hence the low prices. Also, doubtless, there is a tendency on the part of the dealers to make as low prices as possible when the farmer sells the bulk of his crop. Some farmers are obliged to sell as soon as the crop has been harvested or threshed, needing the money and hav ing perhaps no suitable storage room. But this is a hand-to-mouth method of living and farming, and the thrifty, experienced farmer will make himself independent of such conditions.
From the results of several trials at different experiment stations, it appears that the shrinkage of grain put into the bin in good condition is very slight, and corn put into the crib in the fall, fairly well cured and dry, will not lose over ten per cent in weight during the four or five winter months, the shrinkage usually being much less proportion ately than the rise in price. Also, as sold in the fall, ten to fifteen per cent greater weight per bushel of ear corn is required by dealers than is required in the winter or spring.
The farmer should watch the market and sell at the highest prices. A good seller is usually a suc cessful farmer. Farmers should give more atten tion to the marketing of their products in this day of trusts and combinations. They should co operate and protect their interests in maintaining fair prices for their products. But let us urge that every farmer, by his own efforts as well as by cooperation, seek first to prepare for the market a prime article, which on its own merit will bring the highest price.
Literature.
There has been little published on farm manage ment as such, though various phases of the subject have received much separate treatment. Such books as The Fertility of the Land, by Roberts ; The Soil, by King ; Cereals in America, by Hunt ; Grasses, by Shaw, treat more or less on the subject of farm management. Somewhat fuller accounts will be found in Agricultural Economics, by Henry C. Taylor ; Physics of Agriculture, F. H. King (chapter on Farm Mechanics); Chapters in History of Agriculture, T. F. Hunt. The most specific in formation will be found in the two bulletins, An Example of Model Farming, and Farm Manage ment Investigations, by W. J. Spillman, United States Department of Agriculture ; Successful Farming, by William Rennie, Sr., published by Wm. Rennie's Sons, Toronto. For farm bookkeep ing : The Farmer's Business Handbook, 1. P. Roberts, The Macmillan Co.; The Model Farm Record, Minnick, Bliss & Co., Chicago ; Farm Account Book and Farm Record, E. A. Boehne & Sons, Hansen, Nebraska ; Practical Bookkeeping for Farmers, published by H. G. Phelps, Bozeman, Mont. The importance of study of this subject is being recognized, and the future will find available much helpful farm-management literature.