The Grange advance., 1874-09-09
System i'm Farm Labor.

System i'm Farm Labor.
We sympathize with those men who
are deficient in that very essential
thing ''order;;'' some men are born with
out one principle of system in their
constitution, and they never find out
anything about it, for it seems to be
one Of the things hidden from them,
and we often think thai we belong to
that particular class of mortals. This
lack of order is SO great, sometimes, as
to be considered nothing less than an
actual mental defect. 1t is often the
result of Observation-Disclosures and oftener
of negligence. Order is something, the
value of which, one may fully cecog-
nize and yet find it very difficult to at
tain. For such We have fellow feel
ing. Yet we believe that this defect
may be overcome, as may nearly all
others, by recognizing its bad results
and by constant effort. All that is
wanted is little forethought and plan
ming, and if the memory fails to retain
what we want, then write it down. We
do not believe there is enough
of this planning, as general
rule on the farm. We have known per-
sons constitutionally slow, who couldn't
hep it. Being constitutionally tired is
disease that affects some people and
they do not help it. Yet very few
thorough-going, industrious people
would admit that the parties were not
to blame in both these cases. We ques-
ton whether or not, as humiliating as
it may be for many to admit, this con-
stitutional disorder and slip.shod way of
doing things, should not be placed on
the same footing as ]aziness. As bear
ing on this subject and showing the bad
results on the farm of this doing things
at loose ends, we quote the following
from an exchange:
'The amount of muscle that car
be saved by little brain labor is won.
derful. And yet the science of doing
everything in proper season and place,
in fact properly, is something that ag-
ricultural papers or books cannot teach.
Experience, calculation and forethought
are the mentors. A month before
piece Of machinery is to be used, a
glance at it will show where it is defec..
tive. A rainy day, spare hour,
chance to take it to town to be repaired
without going on purpose. These pre-
sent themselves to the intelligent far
mer, aud when the harvest is ripe or
the corn ready for the cultivator, there
will be no delay for the mending
Of damaged machinery. There is no
such weak laziness or wicked waste
of time and opportunity as the man
practices who never has time to do any.
thing properly. He goes to town with
errands, and comes home with only one
finished; he had no time for the others.
He plows for fifty acres of corn, but has
no time to get in but forty. He plows
with dull plow. and chops with dull
axe, for lack Of time to sharpen them.
All these are the result of lack Of fore
thought and system. A neglect to use
the brain that God has given them to
shape and direct, and save the muscle.
An OK will do the work, but he can not
plan it. The horse is powerful, but he
is controlled by his master, and his
power utilized. Mans labor is but
brute strength, and the strong brain
force that is brought to bear upon it,
the more surely every stroke tells, and
the more grand will be the results
Western Farm.