Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1881-02-17
Farm Labor.
farm LABOR.
.cl8 ~ .4l--i cc..3
BURTON Feb. 2, 1881,

~ 4AA4 $3.50 oA4 % Gill AN
longer a farmer 1.-THE most nobl,
occupation of man, allow me t.
add thereto; by, as the darkey
says "narating, some of my
experience with free-labor. Col
! Jones ofVirginia Point has very
eonclusiVelya shown the advan.
| tages of good, over bad work
Common sense teaching that al
farm work to be a success
should be good; / will take my
experience last year with two
hands, Bob No. 1 and 2, and al
most every farmer who reads
this will bear me evidence that
there are too many Bobs on
the farms. Young Bob No. I,
presents himself for a position,
with complaints againsthis form
er. "boss;5he had worked hard,
made a good crop. but it was
/ all 'gobbled-up;' such is their US
ual cause when applying for a
situation. My neighbor, with
whom Bob had lived, is
smaftIy on the Drag, and had
/ pulled Bob as being a No. I,
| good hand, and was much in
censed at his quitting him, but
as Bob was determined to move
thinking we had aprize, we con-
tracted to furnish team, tools,
etc, and he work on the halves,
so-Bob7gets my wagon (as us
ual) moves over his qduds, with
a few bushels of corn, a shoat
or two, ahdlaifew dogs-dogs are
indispensable to the happiness
of a negro household. Bob No.
I and 2, are smart, very smart,
lily round like shot out of a
shovel, No, 7 splits a few rails,
picks up a few more, and by adj
ding afew poles and brush in
closes a garden, an uncommon
thing for a,darkey; but like his
crop it went to weeds for want
of work, Bob No. 2, cares for
none OF these things, SO he gets
breadYandy meat, (which they
both applied for soon after their
arrival. Both have their teams.
tools and land turned over to
them, and you would have
thought both would have made
four times what they could
gather; they. break up their
land No. 2, breaking two plows
during the time, prepare and
plant, getting up fine stands of
both cotton and corn; now
comes the "tug-of-war;" wealth
ef warm, grass and weeds
sPFinging up, crops to thin out
and work. No. 2, has a great
many outside Jobs, not much
on the place and but seldom in
the field, No. /, tries to do it all
with plow. by covering up grass,
weeds and sscrop, gets around,
callsafor a sweep, can't get it,
tussels across the rows withshis
pillow, Tags his team and gets
over itsin(a 5 fashion; miserable
work, takes his hoe, averages
about days in the week hoe
ing, in latterpart of July gets
over his cotton leaving, about a
half stand, balance, as in their
practice chopped up, what is
left is spindling, dwarfy stuff.
Ne. 2, plows a little, hoes a lit.
tie, concludes it is too hot, and
abandons his crop. Picking
time comes, but Mrs. Bob No.
l, is sick, excepting Sundays;
and Bob and his IL year old
girl has to give their time and
attention to nurse her; about
Christmas he finishes gathering
his crop 5 bales. 1915 lbs cotton,
90 or 70 bushels of corn, part
ofwhich 1 had gathered; cotton
sold for 9 3-4, corn 80 cents he
leaves in my debt SIo;6S for |
provisions &c. furnished. He |
goes beck to his old boss" |
who receives him with open |
arms. and ] an, satisfied with no |
good hand. After hiring No.
rs, crop worked late in the
season, gathered about enough
70 pay for the labor. 1 had an
other set, man, wife and two
Boys, 1all smokers) who made
; bales, fIoo'lint and 537 seed
cotton, and about 50 bushels
;orn. They left S. or s6in my
lebt, ! Mysthird and fourth ne
70 renters, and they were con-
idered over average hands, net
ne about a bale to the family.
With my own labor and an old
discarded mare from the farm;
liring days blowing and four
lays help in chopping besides,
n acre anda half in garden
rom which we had an abund-
mt ola variety of vegetables,
hellon &c on 5 acres of land in
Iotton,I raelized 4 bales 2o3lbs;
boxed after stock and those
arm hands, besides my Ger
pan, one with same force Bob
70. had, himself. wife and IL
ear girl, made and saved over
bales, ofcotton and plenty of
pm. He paid money rent.
low this German and myself
how the difference in working
nth aninterest in what you do,
nd as the majority of farm
ands do, working with an in {
crest, and only from neces-
ity l have tried hired hands,
18th worse results, as their rule
; big wages and poor work.
'egroes are pious Jews in prac-
Zee, never desecrate Saturday
y working; scripture abiding |
l one sense, allowing each day
r rather year to provide for it
elf Eor-,7,por IoprE 49,, ,,,;+I |