Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-01-07
Boys on the Farm.

ALTHOUGH this is an old subject, yet
think we may always learn something
from experience and from those who
have had experience, and that is about
all we farmers-uneducated farmers
expect to dc. / have had two expe-
riences: first, myself as boy ON the
farm; and second, with my boys on the
farm.
AS my father was a small farmer and
had three boys, when we became large
enough to work il was necessary for us
to earn something more than we could
from working his small farm. /, being
the oldest, at about the age Of fourteen
years went off to the factory. Labor in
factories brings better wages than farm
work, partly because in the factory we
have work the year round. l followed
this work for about twenty years, yet all
this time / never lost my relish for the
farm. If had spare day or week, it
was always a great pleasure to go and
work with my father on the old place.
Work twenty-five or thirty years ago was
different from what il is now, with all the
machinery we have The question comes
in here, what was there pleasant about
its Take haying, for instance, when we
used to NOW and rake by hand. / know
there is work about tit would blister
my hands, yet, when work is made pleas.
ant, it is not so very disagreeable, and
that is what my father used to do. He
would not set boy to moving with a
scythe that would not cut well, but would
see that his boys scythe was as good as
his own, and he was always pleasant to
us if we did not do our work to suit him.
Instead of scolding as he would try and
teach us, and here, | think, is one i'm.
portant point. If farmers want to keep
their BOYS on the farm they should be
pleasant and not scold because they
cannot always do work as well as
their fathers, remembering that they
have not had the experience OF older
persons. Let US rather hope that, when
they shall have had the experience that
we have, they will beat us, as they will
if we wait and give them time. / think
we want to get too much from our boys.
I have seen fathers that wanted their
BOYS to go to school and learn, but at the
same time would have them up early in
the morning and work until the last
minute, and as soon as home at night
they were required to go to work. Now,
when your boys go to school, do not
think Of getting much work from them.
They must have some time for them
selves, as the saying is: "AIl work and
no play makes Jack dull boy" Never
take boy out of school to work. Ihaye
seen fathers, when their work got be.
hind, who would take the boys out OF
school We had better hire extra help,
or work a little harder ourselves; then.
when they are through their school days,
they win know enough, so that II we
send them with load of wood TO mar
ket they can measure and reckon it up
correctly themselves. Give them a
chance to do something's do not think
that theyAwill be contented TO always
plod alongsin the same old ruts that we
did. Let them have some things to their
liking; at he same time we must keep
watch o4 em and not encourage them
to run hAA0ong into business. / think
we had better keep the reins partly in
our hands, SO that II they get TO going
too fast we can rein them up little ands
not let them run away with u.s.. H.,
IN Ne5 FINLAND Farmer.