The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1870-04-01
From the American ,sTieslfprstl
Walks and Talks on the Farm.

IRON the AtsTlcAh NefN@IAii~N1 = I
Walks and Talks ou the Farm.
First ana last. I have wr,iien A good
deal on the chemistry .. manure. -.
the past week we nave Dsen engaged IN
dra wing out IDanUre from the b.rn-yard,
and can but wish thai some one would
write an article cn the Mr,uANICs OF the
heap. Chemistry tells us how
10 make rich manure and how 10 pre-
~ser,eit. aud this Is certainly OF great inn
portauce- But how 10 handle the man.
ure with the least labor how 10 pile il
and turp it. how To load il and draw il
10 the field. and how To unload il and
spread il. are questions OF no less im-
portsucc. Al the present price OF labor
ave May make ~ manure cost us more
than il Is worth.
The intelligent farmers OF the country
should direel their lliuIlghts 10 tits sub
icct. and see ii some means of lessening
The labor caunot be discovered. III viii
not do 10 depend on keeping Up the fer
,ility of our land br Flowing under
clover. Thai day has passed. never. |
hope TO return. We must keep core
stock. and Learn how 70 make a profit III
raising and feeding il The only far
mcrs who have made money the past
wear have taen those who have devoted
more or less attention 10 the production
OF butter. cheese. pork, beet. oil GOOD
mutton. 10 raise grain OH land worth
$luO M acre, TO pay 500 to $500 a day
for labor in harvesting and tlireshing ii /:
10 pay high taxes and high prices for
every tool and implement and machine
that we Use, and then pay high rates for
freight, INSURANCE. commissions. and
profits on mida,a-,nen in sending il 10
Nex York, and thence TO Europe. where
it il sold at the same price grain rails
al with labor costing not half what we
are obliged TO pay.is a business thai does
not afford any particularly bright pros
pcct OF large profits. The red winter
whea, is less than 30 sh;llings Il quarter
in England tSl.sO per 5a>iIci in gold-)-
Not a pound OF American wheat should
be shipped across the Atlantic. Ii it
were not for our strong disposition TO
rush into anything that for the
promises large profits. To the sc4lect OF
the steady business of farming. we
should seldom be Obliged to sell our pro-
ducts at u loss. In the average of the
last sixteen years. the United Kingdom
VI oiNdt "a litttntl hd~ tAll!Fol-
ted over 5t.eo0OUu bushels OF wheat per
annum. and she will continue to want rs
much for wears TO como. Site has in
some way got the impression that the
United States eau furnish a large amount.
at low rates. She should be di.abused of
this idea. We have Il population greater
than her own. and it is increasing rap
idly. We can raise A large amount of
wheat. provided il will pay. But to raise
it and sell it at q loss is what she should
be given To understand we are not will
ling to do. The remedy is in our own
hands. No legislation can help lis if We
do moi help ourselves. When wheat
falls below the cos of production. we
must either hoidit or put ii into the pork
barrel or convert it into beef. wool. NUT
ton Or butter or cheese. Had we been
disposed to do this the past autumn. we
could have had so cents a bushel moreI
for our wheat. TO the advantage of all
classes, consumers and producers alike.
But what has this TO do with drawing
out manure? 1t has a good deal TO do
with the labor question and labor ~aiicctsI
every operation on the farm. How to-
render labor more Efficient is the first
problem to which the American farm
er has to solve. 1t worries me TO seel
a man get $500 for a days work. and
then spend another day. first and last. in
getting his money. He would have been
just as well Oft if lie had worked two
days at $l,U a day, and the farmer he
worked for would have got twice the
benefit. 1t is great loss to farmers and
to the nation TO have men work only
eight months in the year. II is q great
waste of labor to employ il i'm raisingI
10 or IL bushels of wheat per acre. or %
or 80 bushels ofcorn, or as or Il 100 BUSH
els of potatoes. Our excuse for raising
such poor cropsis the high price of labor.
We waste labor because it is high, and
it is high because we waste il.
~ An Ohio correspondent Of the