NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 8

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

A correspondent, writing from the Otaraia district in . reference to a Poa recent note of mine, says Prateiisls. that Foa pratensis does not change its nature in New Zealand. He writes a long rigmarole about somebody havirg mistaken fiorin for Poa pratensis", and thus, he says, the idea has arisen that thi« grass grows in a mat like couch grass. I don't know anything about this alleged confusion of Poa piateneis, but I do know that this grass i= a creeping nuisance in arable land, though it is a good pasture, grass,, in any place that is not likely to be ploughed. The real question is this, Are Poa pratensis and the blue grass of Kentucky the same? If so. then it is certain that they have different habits in different countries. A neighbour of mine obtained some seed of Kentucky blue grass some years ago, and if that grass has a tufty habit of growth in its own country it certainly has a creeping habit here. The case my "correspondent quotes as having 1 given rise lo what he calls an erroneous idea lhrou,-?h a mistaken identity does not concern the matter at all. The grass I known as Poa pratensis has beeou identified as such by Mr T. W. Kirk, the Government botanist, " and it rnosb certainly spreads rapidly in arable land by means of its creeping roots; therefore, J say that if Poa p-atensis and Kentucky blue grass arc the same variety, and if the blue grass is a tufty grass in its own country, then it most decidedly does change its nature, when it comes here. My correspondent takes up a foolish position when he says_ that because somebody made the stupid mistake of confounding 1 Agrostis alba with Poa pratensis, therefore everybody else is under the same mistaken impression. There are many varieties of Agrostis, but Agrostis alba" is the only one that in the least degree resembles Poa pratensis, but the two grasses are really so different that none but the merest novice can fail to separate them. The Buttons *ay that Poa pratensis has changed its nature in England as well &s hi Xew Zealand* aud I th'uk ilr M.

J. Sutton is a pretty good authority on the subject.

"M. C," a farmer in the Waiau district,

wishes for information with

Farm respect to keeping farm Book-keeping, accounts so that a yearly balance can be struck, showing the financial position at the end of the year. I have given this information before, but as it is a good many y^Tirs ago. I daresay it will be useful to deal with the matter again. The farmers' year is not the same as the calendar year, because at the 31st December we are in the midst of our season's work, and it is, therefore, better to reckon our year as from July 1 to June 30. By that time the woo:, lambs, and cull ewes are sold, also most, if not all, the grain. What grain is on the farm can be valued at the current market rates, as at balancing time. Of course, the yearly ballance can be made at whatever period is wished, but I consider that the 30fch June is better than 31st December or 31sfc March. It must be noted that it is a much simpler matter to keep accounts for striking a yearly balance for the whole farm than to separate the incomings and outgoings in respect to each branch of farming operations, such as grain, sheep, dairy, poultry, etc. Assuming, however, that the majority of farmers only keep, as I do. a record of the whole receipts and expenditure of the farm, I will proceed to give an outline of the manner in which it is done. I find that only two books are necessary for recording farm accounts — namely, a daybook and a kdger. In the daybook each transaction is entered on the date it occurs, sums paid being entered on the right-hand side of an opening and receipts on the left-hand side. For example, if I sell any stock or grsin I enter the amount, together with a description of the stock or grain, or whatever it may be, on the left-hand page, also giving the date and the buyer's name. It is best to take pie ity of space, and enter everything clearly and legibly — wheri~ the book is filled another can be got. In this way a record is made of all dealings as they occur, but as all kinds of entries will fee mixed up together, at intervals it is necessary to sort out the items and classify them under proper headincs in the ledger. This can be done monthly or quarterly. Ledgers are always indexed for ready reference, with the letters of the alphabet. Opposite each letter put the r;ames of ihe produce or stock, etc., beginning with that letter and the page of the, ledger on which their account? are entered. For instance, opposite the letter "B" write "Barley, blacksmiths, butter," etc.. and the number of the pages on which v those entries are to bs found, and so on with all the different articles. Each heading must havo Dr. and Or. sides; on one put payments, on the other receipts. This is called "posting" the ledger. A farmer may have as many headings in the ledger as he likes. He can lump all his stock transactions tinder the head of "Stock," or he can have different headings for sheep, cattle, pigs, etc. So also with cereals — he can include all under "grain,'* or split it up under headings for wheat, barley, oats, rye, peas, beans, 'etc. Besides grain and stock, the chief headings will be manures, seeds, implements, fencing material, labour, taxes, railage, house expenses (including drapery, groceries, etc). Then, with rcsard to small disbursements such as train fares, stamps, etc., these can be noted each day in a small memorandum book or pocket diary, and entered! in the leger every month or so, under the heading of "petty cash account." Proper bookkeeping includes a record of every penny paid and received during the year, so that if the balance is not satisfactory and retrenchment necessary, then we can see in which direction we can save expenditure next year.

— The Balance Sheetis made up from the ledger by putting down all the items of expenditure on one side and all the receipts on the other side. Each paga of the ledger must be added up and the respective totals put down on the proper side of the balance sheet. If tli3 toial expenditure is loss than the total r-eceipts, then the profit for the year is tlio amount that make*< tiie. expenditure equal to the receipts — that is. makes the two sides "balance." Each lodger account must be closed at thf end of the year, and fresh headings made for next year.

— Capital Account. —

I omitted to say that, in order to ascertain our true position at the time of balancing, w& nescl to start our ledger with what is "called a, "capital account." Thi3 comprises a statement of the value of the farm and all live and dead stock and produce o l the farm at the beginning- of our balancing year. If the farm is freehold we must put down the sum given for it ; if mortgaged, the amount of that goes against the value. If the farm is leasehold, the value.

of the goodwill, if any, goes on the credit side. The live and dead stock must be ptit at fair current value. As I have said, the capital account is necessary in order to give us our true financial position, but we car make a profit or loss from our year's transactions independent of the capital account. For example, say I make a profit of £500 on the year s farming, but land goes down in value during the year, so that I have to write off £500 from the estimated value of my farm, I am then in no better position than at the beginning of the year. But that is only on paper, and does not signify unless I sell the farm at the reduoed price. Then, on the other hand, if land goes up in value I may be worth more at the end of the year than at the beginning, although I may have made a loss on nay working of the farm. That also is only a paper value, unless I sell out at that figure. — A Specimen Balance Sheet. — The following specimen may serve to show how a balance is made. It is only a suppositious one, and does not apply to any actual case: —

This balance sheet shows a profit of £288 14.5, but £284 17s 9d of that is made through live stock increasing in value during the \ear. so that those on hand are worth so much more than those on hand at the beginning of the year. Therefore, the actual profit made on the year's work is only a few pounds. AGRIOOIxA..