Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-07-16
Harvest Time.

ONLY few years ago harvest time was
season to be dreaded by the farmer and
his wife, Every operation was performed
by the severest manual drudgery and none
but stout, able bodied men or boys could
render any material assistance in the work
of securing crops. Now, with the i'm
proved machinery which science and in
ventive genius have furnished, the old and
the young, the healthy and infirm, can all
be drafted into service, and the puny boy,
who was almost useless before, can accom-
plish more in an hour than the stoutest
man could in whole days hard work.
From what fearful bondage has the
farmer been emancipated! Then he
strained every muscle throughout the long,
hot July day to cut two acres of grass !;
now he sits on cushioned seat, an UNI
brella over him and a jug of ice water by
his side and accomplishes the same thing
without starting the perspiration. Indi-
rectly this improved machinery relieves
the farmers wife from large share of the
slavish toll which harvest formerly brought
to her each year. Then she was com
PEELED to cook in the hot kitchen during
the hottest weather for large gang of
hands; now but little more than the ordi-
nary work is required
Notwithstanding the great advantages
which machinery affords a great many
farmers, from the mere force of habit, still
make harvest a time for rush and hurry
and undue prolonged labor We know
men who work philosophically at all other
times, but now throw prudence and COM
mon sense to the winds, and are in a
continual worry and fret until every crop
is secured. There are times in harvest
when it is absolutely necessary to hurry
and work unusually hard, and perhaps
unusually late or early, to secure crop
from injury or destruction; but these are
not frequent in ordinary seasons and do
not last long. 1t is the prolonged, con-
stant, everyday strain, carly and late,
without let-up or rest, that does the injury
and against which we protest. Thehuman
system can bear certain amount of daily
labor without injury, but carried beyond
this 1t wears out rapidly In all the we'll
regulated industrial establishments of the
world ten hours are regarded as a full
days labor for il has been demonstrated
that more can be accomplished in this
time than by working longer 1t may not
be eXpedient, always, to limit the time
on the farm to ten hours, but that
there should be Il reasonable limit and a
regular system maintained as a general
rule, no one can deny. We know men
who, during harvest frequently work till
nine O'Clock at night and then commence
next morning at four or five O'Clock Such
men do not accomplish as much as they
who take the requisite sleep and rest. A
man can hold ten-pound weight at arm s
length, with the necessary alternate periods
of rest all day long, but he can paralyze
his arms by holding a one pound weight a
given time without rest Health is the
greatest blessing man can have in this
life. 1t is worth taking care of, for when
once lost II is rarely regained. During
the heated term, when men of most occu-
pations seek rest and recreation, the farm.
er has il the hardest. Labor is doubly ex-
hausting at this season, and he shoul4 use
all reasonable precautions against injury.
The whole body should be bathed every
morning, the diet should be well regu-
lated, highly stimulating drinks should be
avoided, and work should cease whenever
it becomes exhausting.-OhiO Farmer.