=3. Books Used.= In this set, the books used are Journal, Cash Book, and Ledger. In addition a _counter book_ or _blotter_, corresponding to a day book, is used. This is a rough book in which are recorded sales on account, cash purchases, and sometimes payments on account. The entries are merely memoranda of transactions, made when they occur, to be later entered in the regular books. No bookkeeper being employed, it would be inconvenient for the proprietor or his clerk to go to the desk and make a detailed entry every time a sale is made, and so the transaction is entered in pencil in the blotter. Bookkeeping records must be permanent, and should always be made in ink; and it is advisable, when possible, to have all entries made in one handwriting. A sample page of the blotter, which illustrates its use, is shown (p. 3). The marks // indicate that the item has been transferred to journal or cash book. =4.= The ledger used is one with journal ruling. In posting, each item is entered in the ledger. This is a very satisfactory plan for a small business, as the items of which each charge is composed can be seen at a glance. More space is required for an account, but the saving in time in making statements is a distinct advantage, especially when the proprietor is his own bookkeeper. With the ordinary style of ledger, it is necessary to refer to books of original entry to find the items. [Illustration: Ledger with Journal Ruling] =5. Statements.= Customers frequently request detailed statements of account which will give full particulars of each transaction, including each item. At other times the proprietor sends statements to his customers, with a request for payment. When this is done, it is not necessary to enter each item, a statement of the balance due being sufficient unless an itemized statement is requested by the customer. =6.= The business is opened by William Webster on the 21st day of November, 190-. He is to conduct a retail grocery business, and has rented a store from Wm. Bristol at a monthly rental of $30.00. His resources consist of cash $600.00; merchandise, consisting of a miscellaneous stock of groceries, $964.50; personal accounts due him as follows: Henry Norton, $25.00; L. B. Jenkins, $22.70. His liabilities consist of two accounts due for goods purchased, as follows: Brewster & Co., Rochester, N. Y., $115.20; Warsaw Milling Co., $64.00. The opening entry, which furnishes a permanent record of these facts, is shown (p. 4). =7. Proprietor's Account.= The proprietor's account is an account representing capital when the business is owned by a single proprietor. When the business is started, this account is opened in the name of the proprietor (Wm. Webster, Proprietor), and to it is credited his net investment. From time to time the books are closed and the proprietor's account then receives credit for the net profits or is debited with the net losses of the business. [Illustration: Day Book]