The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-12-18
Occupation During Winter.

AS agriculture IS at present con-
Quoted in the prairie regions of the West
farmers are virtually without remunera-
tive occupations from the first of No.
vember till the first Of April. A few
husk eorn and q smaller number do a
little teaihing, bit as a rule there is
nothing done in the line of work except
to deal out food and water to a stock of
cattle. At the time when most farms
were fenced with rails and wood was
generally employed as fuel there
was considerable work during winter.
Chopping down trees, splitting logs into
rails, cutting wood into suitable lengths
for kindling; drawing them to the fartti;
and working the cord wood into sticks
for the stove afforded employment dur
ing winter. But now coal has taken
the place of wood for fuel and it re-
quires little or no preparation, while
wire has generally superseded rails or
any kind of lumber for fencing.
Thrashing grain is now almost en-
tirely done by machinery and nearly all
the corn is shelled in the same manner.
There is no flax or hemp to be worked
up. Only in few localities is there
any tobacco to be stripped and pre-,
pared for m ,rket. Drying apples and
ether fruits is now chiefly done in large
establishments. In short, work in and
about the farm is confined to the corn and
stock. If farmers have any Other emf
ployment it GENERALLY consists in griiiil-
Bling about The hard times and in talking
politics. Further south farming opera
lions continue later in the fall and COM
mence earlier IN the spring. There are
also opportunities for earning money in
preparing tobacco, hemp and cotton
for the market. Flowing may be done
in the South almost any time during the
winter. In the States where there are
extensive forests there are generally OPP
portunities for earning money by doing
leaning for others, if farmers have
none to do for themselves. LII many
cases as much money is earned during
the winter as during the summer.
In no other occupation than farming
would person expect to succeed who
had no remunerative employment dur
ing five months of the year. Any mer-
chant and nearly every manufacturer
would be ruined were he obliged to
shut up his store or mandatory on the
1st of November and keep 1t closed till
the beginning of April. But this is
substantially what every Western farm
er does. Not only is he out of en-
ployment. but his teams are. His work
ing stock as we'll as himself are OF
great expense. They consume large
portion of what they produced during
the summer. As to the other animals
they are generally entirely unproduc-
tive. The mich cows do not afford half
milk enough to pay for their feed. The
other animals win weigh less and be in
poorer condition in the spring than
when they were put in winter quar-
tiers. Even the fowls will be kept at a
loss. The eggs they produce will not
pay for the grain they consume. In
short, the gains of summer are largely
consumed during the winter.
Among the labor problems that are
constantly presenting themselves for
solution is: How shall Western farmers
find profitable occupation for them
selves and their teams during that por-
ton of the year when regular opera
tions in the fields cannot be performedp
1t is certain that some occupation
should be found whereby they can, at
least, pay expenses during the time
they are unemployed in field work. At
present nearly every Western farmer
finds himself poorer in the spring than
he was the previous fall. In many cases
the live stock on farm are worth no
more in the spring than they were in
the fall. Still they have devoured
fields of corn, fodder, stacks of straw,
mows of hay, cribs of corn and bins OF
grain. The subject of providing prof
table occupation for farmers and their
teams during the winter is good one
for discussion at Grange meetings and
agricultural conventions. As rule
farmers cannot afford to be idle during
half the year. Who will suggest an &C.
cupation by which they may render the
winter months profitab1e?- Chicago
7frnpe