Diversity of Farm Business
Whatever has been true in the past, the manager of a farm to-day must be a business man capable of negotiating complicated transactions, buying and selling, and attending to the diverse details of organization and management.
You should consider well your adaptability for the diversifications of general farm life; your inclination to acquire an intimate knowledge of the principal affairs and at least a comprehensive acquaintance with everything related to farming. As a manager you must keep accurate accounts; you must know live stock as well as crops; you must be a mechanic, and ready to lend a hand with your laborers if your condition permits; in a word, you must be broad minded and tactfully co-operate with your men. You must have a practical knowledge of crops, of their seeding and harvesting, of the principles of plant breeding, propagation, and adaptation to soils. You must understand animal husbandry, breeding, growing, and feeding the animals produced to a market finish or for milk production.