The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-01-20
CO.Operation in Farming.

IN almost every department of labor
there is more cooperation than in any
former time. The reverse of this, how
ever, is true of the business of farming.
In the early days of the settlement of
the Eastern States it was very common
for farmers to unite in doing nearly ey-
ery kind of work. If a farmer wished
to build a log-house, to dig cellar. or
clear piece of land, several of his
neighbors turned out and assisted in do
ing the work that could with difficulty
be performed by one man. In breaking
new ground it was customary ssto join
teams" During haying and harvest
ing it was common to sschange work"
Men who became experts in any de-
partment of labor, as stacking hay and
grain, performed al! that kind of work
10 the neighborhooi, and were compen-
sated by persons who were skillful in
some other operations, as sowing grain
and grass seed, slaughterfng animals, or
grating trees. The farmers enjoyed
working together, and generally believed
that they accomplished more than when
they worked by themselves. Sometimes
all the farmers in a neighborhood turned
out and formed "bee," for the pur-
pose of killing hogs, husking corn, or
moving building. By doing so they
changed hard work into sport.
In those old times farmers wives re-
sorted to cooperation in performing
much of their work. They "changed
MILK in order to lessen the labor of
making cheese. This plan enabled
them to make larger cheese than when
only the milk produced on one farm
was worked up in the house. 1t also
obviated the necessity of obtaining q
large number of watts for making curd
and presses for forming the cheese.
They often united in the manufacture
of various kinds of cloth. 1t was then
the fashion to have quilting bees'' and
"apple bees.' All these "bees" were
attended by sports, games and a gen.
eral good time. Doing work without
the aid of machinery, they continued to
do it expeditiously by means of cooper
alton, and found pleasure in each others
society. The absence of machines and
other labor-saying appliances rendered
cooperation among farmers necessary.
The Introduction of machinery has
contributed to favor cooperation in al
most all the mechanical pursuits. 1t
appears to have had the contrary effect
in farming. Since the introduction
of machiney we seldom find farmers
uniting to do any kind of work except
that of thrashing grain. There is no
more "joining teams or "changing
work. except in the one instance re.
ferred to. The "corn-sh -shucking'' and
the "piling bee'' live only in history.
Every farmer works for himself. He
Io1 .,fo
neighbors. He does not cooperate
with any persons engaged in the same
kind of employment. He puts barbed
wire fence about his farm instead of a
Chinese wall, but it answers the pur-
pose equally well. He prides himself
on being an independent farmer. In
truth, he is too independent for his own
good, socially or otherwise.
a large amount of expense might be
saved if ten or twenty farmers would
unite in the purchase of tools that are
only employed during limited periods
of the year. One field-roller is sufficient
to do all the work required of it or
twenty farms of the average size. It car
be conveyed from one place to another
without difficulty, and will last fifty
years if properly taken care of. One
breaking-plow, one grain-drill, one
broadcast seeder, one post-driver, one
fence wire stretcher, one corn-planter
one stump-extractor are amply sufficient
to do all the work each was designed to
perform on five sections of land, wheth
er it belongs to one individual or to
several, and it seems to be the height oi
folly for each owner of a small farm t(
own them all for the sole purpose of do
ing the work ON his place. The cost o
these tools is very considerable, while
the annual outlay for storage and taxes
is large. They require the same
amount of care whether they are KEEP
in use several weeks or only few day.
in every year. The taxes and insur
ance amount to the same whether the,
are employed during a large or small
portion of the season.
Objections can of course be raise(
against the plan of farmers uniting t.
own and use costly agricultural nipple
ments in common. 1t is unquestionabl,
true that several might wish and no
find it convenient to use the same i'm
plement on the same day. But the dit
ficulties in these cases could be readily
adjusted. The care and disposition o
the tools could be given to one persol
or to a committee chosen by all the join
owners, who should receive application
and give the use of the implement t.
those persons who could employ then
without much inconvenience to Others
As a rule each farm implement remain
idle about half of each day on accoun
! of the inability of team to operate it
longer time. If one farmer use
it constantly during the forenoo
another may attach fresh team t.
it and use it constantly during the after
noon. In respect tc keeping costly ms
.. chinery constantly occupied, manufat
, turers ssare wiser in their generation
!, than farmers are. They not unfr'
!, quently employ two sets of hands
manage the same machine, SO that on
, may eat, rest and sleep while the othe
is at work. By so doing they save th
, expense of one shop and one set of MI
chinery, and also save paying a lare
. sum for taxes and insurance. 1t is
fact well known to the farmers of evel
!, neighborhood that some one person gel
orally acquires greater skill in the use
, particular implements than any one
his neighbors. When this is the ca
: there is economy in allowing him
i, operate the machine that he can ma
q age to so excellent advantage. He ca
: take it from one farm to another, on tt
, same day or on different days, and u
on it the teams each farmer provide
, The more frequently one uses machil
:, the better his management of it become
and, as consequence, the larger is Il
: amount of work accomplished. Coz
!, work as well as much work is the rest
: of allowing one person to operate a m
= chine till he becomes very proficient
), its employment. As to the machine
! self, 1t receives less damage at the han
" of one than at the hands of many, sor
y of whom are very awkward and bun
. ling in the use of tools of every kin
y Many man who plows a straight fl
= row cuts very crooked swath. L
= person who builds fine hay-stack m
g fail in sowing grass-seed. There q
= many persons who should never be