The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-06-25
Deer Creek Farmers, Club.

lions. The committee expressed the pleasure they |
took in reporting upon farm upon which so much |
improvement had been made. They examined |
everything with a critical eye, admired the fine |
hre sSe the ns sn yonr te
Judge Waters field of corn looked well for this
season, his oats are better than the committee ex-
pected to and his field of wheat just harvested
the committee had not seen equalled anywhere |
Everything about the farm looked prosperous, and |
they knew of no farm that had been more mproy |
ed than this one.
FARM LABOR.
The question appointed for consideration was |
Farm Labor: how much To employ, how Ia en- |
plOy il and how To manage it
Judge Walters said that in discussing the ques-
ion of farm labor they We're getting very near the |
foundation Gf successful farming. Money invest |
I'd IN real estate paid smaller interest than in |
anything recognized us Il secure Investment |
Three per cent. he regarded a. the maximum |
amount that could be realized from landed invest
ments unless II man works The land himself. All |
over TINT amount is due to the labor put upon il |
aud should he credited to the labor. In farming
for profit, therefore, no question is so important
as that of labor, considered in all its branches
As far us the individual is concerned, he had |
nothing to say against the gentleman farmer |
He is generally a harmless person, and may be an
gentleman farmer" II implied that laboring
| with ones hands is ungentlemanly. You never |
hear of a gentleman lawyer" ora gentleman
DOCTOR Labor is essential to success in our call |
fact is. honorable in ours as it is in Others
Every farmer whether he directs or labors with
There is nothing in his occupation that prevents
| him from being one. Every farmer ought to I'M
| derStand practically how to work his farm, and
know what a days work is. The question of the
| amount of labor man should employ is merely
relative. man could make his own living by
working ten acres, or even five acres. But man
| should do more than that. He should not only
first take care of himself and those dependent
upon him, but he should endeayOr to be useful
| outside his own family, to his neighborhood and
to the community He should endeayor to work
his land to its utmost capacity and employ as much
labor rs he can make profitable. He should en-
| ploy enough hands by the year to keep his work
| ahead. and only employ day hands at harvest and
M hen "a 4 mo
there are many things which he can have attended
towhichit would not pay to hire hands by the day
to do. The number of hands whicha farm of 100
| 40 or 800 acres will carry depends upon many
different things An article from the Co,mhy
June, met his views exactly. 1t recommended
the employment of married men, who should
micay they can thereby get the benefit of it,
That plan also gives employment to the laborers
family, and relieves the females of the farmers
family OF vast amount of unnecessary drudgery
| which makes farm life so Objectionable to many
II he were farming extensively he would have
houses for the hands to live in and let them board
| themselves. That idea has not been generally
adopted. bur it will grow. A manager should
avoid mistakes as much as possible and manage
lie should study the disposition of his hands and
treat them fairly and Kindly both as matter Of
ninutir, trust, as far as you can, the hands you
employ Find as little fault as possible. If the
general average of work done is not satisfactory,
discharge the hand, and when once discharged let
him be always discharged. In hiring hands his
|
the price is set too high he does not employ them.
1t lisa bad plan to hayea man who thinks he ought
Hs ndse Waers did l nS ee
could live on less than they are now getting
George r. Glasgow thought it important to have
| force enough TO keep the work ahead, He also
| preferred to have families board themselves
Treat your hands kindly and pay them promptly
whatever you agree to pay, weekly or monthly
Mr.. Glasgow said he had tried boarding hands
and allowing them to board themselves, and pre-
fers the latter AS to wages he was willing to pay
| t-CI hands Ill
all the year and two from early spring until late
IN Woa n p saS Sg ad al ha h
oughly ventilated the subject that very little be-
sides was left TO say. As to the amount of labor,
100 acre farm 1t is good fault to have plenty of
hands, but the number depends upon the con-
hing and fencing to do you must have more hands
than if these things are not needed. Every farmer
should hire Il boy and educate him 10 labor on the
farm lie can not get along without two or three
boys on his farm. IT we took the trouble to cdu-
cate boys as farmers we would have better hands.
Hands should be treated kindly and paid prompt
ly. If he was farming for fun he would let his
hands board themselves, If for profit he would
so small that farmers will do better by boarding
their hands. Feed them well, pay them well and
keep them in good humor.
James IT, Ball mentioned some of the difficulties
in hands boarding themselves Some of them
have no wives and they must have homes. One
when you want them you can call them. He
agreed with Judge Waters that it is right to en-
the poor always with us, and there is class who
can not take care of themselves. 1t is the duty
of those with means and business capacity to
furnish them employment as faras they can make
it pay.
TO have one hand at least to board with him, but
if he employed large force he would not have
more than two in the house. ltismore profitable
to board hands yourself, but it is heavy work for
the females of the household. 1t is certainly
more convenient TO board hands, as you often
want to make changes in work in the middle of the
day, Ut is as cheap to hire hands by the year
for or months as by the day. You can make
them ali they are worth and pay them promptly.
II. Harris Archer said that in managing hands,
when you put man to do anything and after
wards think il wrong, if il is u small job do not
stop him, or he may lose confidence in your judg-
ment You should not over-estimate the capacity
of hand. III he can only pick mp stone do not
let him hook up horse and go mill. Bad man
agement he regarded as the cause of many acct
boarding hands. On the Eastern Shore farmers
hire hands by the month and allow them so many
pres 10 OF The soe aud Them 81 Tbs
plan works well and often prevents their families
VIM r. Hays said he employs hands who board
themselves. Has boarded the men and finds that
the other plan pays better He hires good hands,
pays good wages and never puts hand to do
job if he does not know how to do it.
Thomas A. Hays agreed with Judge Waters,
men. Its decidedly best to let hands board them
selves and better for the females of their families,
because that way employs them also; There
hands and pay a good price.
George 4. Sitter finds it cheaper to, hire by the
better employment and farmers have an oppor-
tnnity to do many jobs which would be neglected
II day labor only were employed. The amount OF
labor depends upon how farm is managed A
grazing farm does not require so much help one
thntis cropped altogether. Wemight crop entire
ly and employ more hands, but as we are farming
TO make money would it be right to do that! He
thought more could be made by grazing and rails
ing stock than by cropping and would continue
get good hands and pay them well; He did not
are now getting and did not see, also how farmers
could afford to pay more 1t is desirableto let
own house, hire cook for them and let them
board there You might make more by boarding
them in your own house, but 1t makes TOO much
make anything by boarding hands. Pay them
what their board is worth al reasonable rates and
let them board themselves.
Benz Silver, Jr., Secretary said he felt like the
hoy whose father took the last piece of meat out
was left, There was nothing left for him to say,
He would hire men with brains and intelligence in
preference to men with muscle and no brains, as
the former could manage the work better. He
did not believe in hands boarding themselves. If
you have hands in the house they can clean their
horses and get ready for the field before breakfast.
If they live at distance they lose time coming TO
the barn and returning home to their breakfast,
or if they do not come until they get their break
fast, it makes them late in starting for the field
Next year he intended to have quarters for his
| them. He prefers colored help, not that they
work better, but you can not get enough white
men. He would not be withouta boy on the place
He likes TO be with the men at work. but when
Obliged to be absent he selects the intelligent
and let's him direct the Others Ii is better TO hire
by the month, You will always find plenty to do
| on rainy days.
James Lee (PresdentJ said he was opposed to
employing boys. He boards the hands himself so
| as to have them convenient.
Messrs. Ball and Moores thought that men who
board with their employer fare better and can do
more work. Mr.. Geo. Silver did not agree with
this proposition.
| Judge Walters remarked that the plan of deal
| ing out provisions allowed the hands no opportlI-
nifty to practice economy, which they might do il