Connecticut western news., 1882-05-03
VOL. XI.

eaten Dy LRo UlIcu SluS, 6feA III HlAlOAS or if working by the farmstead, the repast will be made in the cart-shed, barn, or other outbuilding As to his sitting down to spread table inside the farmers house, even the kitchen of it, that is an occurrence of the rarest, and eating at the farmers own table thing altogether unknown to him. Poor is the fare he subsists on, the very commonest and cheapest to be procured at best only bread and boiled bacon, cold cf course. He deems himself we'll off with this, and cannot always get it often having to fall back upon a" bloater" (salt herring), eaten cold too. But of all food commodities purchasable by him, cheese is his chief staple and stand by. It goes further for the amount of money expended, and many farm has naught but this to "kitchen" his bread with. Tea he can only get on his return home after his task is done and of this he is fond; for notwithstanding the tax on it, it is possibly the most economical and certainly the most lux urious of his meals.
 True, in addition to his wages. he has daily allowance of beer, or in the apple-growing shires of cider. But this counts for nothing in the way of econ- omy, and is in truth rather loss than gain to him, as it tends toward habits of dissipation. In hay-making and har- vest time, if not under annual engage ment, his pay is somewhat better, as then he works by the "piece," or job. Moving he undertakes by the acre; two or moro banding together to do the work. The terms are about one dollar an acre for cutting meadow grass, and somewhat less for clover. This includes drink, which the scythemen provide for themselves. If they did not, and drank as they customarily do, 0 very large re- duction would have to be made in the price of their piece work. almost hesi- tate to name the quantity of beer or cider which an English mower will swallow, lest my statement be deemed an exaggeration. Still it should be made, and I can truthfully affirm that many of them drink each two gallons per diem, and some even more. Cider is usually sold at 15 cents the gallon, and beer, not of best quality, at 20. But when hay making and harvesting come around, the brewers advertise what they term Char vest beer" at 12 cents the gallon, and some even as low as 8-sell this stuff, too, in large quantities We'll might one exclaim with Horace, 70 duro Stia messorumw Little better off are these poor men with tKe cider when the far mer employing them supplies it. He knows trick, too; and if the harvest beer be, as iocularly termed, only the " washings Of the brewers aprons" in like manner, as they, his cider is less the product of the orchard than the
 horse-pond.
 As good mower can cut an acre oi meadow grass in a day, the amount oi his earnings is easily reckoned. But ii must be remembered that this is no or dinary days work, but hard, almost constant toll, commencing at o'clock in the morning, and continued as long as there is light enough to swing the scythe by. If he succeed in making hls dollar day, it is in truth by having done nearly double work so that his temporary increase of wages is after all
 due to proportionately greater amount
 of labor performed; and often, I may
 add, to the detriment of his health
 The same is the case at harvest time
 when reaping succeeds moving, with {
 week or two of interval between. As {
 rule the corn-cutting is also done by
 piece-work the laborers employed 8
 it being often strangers to one another
 united in bands under one who under
 takes the job. At this particular tim'
 the sons of Erin, seeking harvest work
 penetrate to the most inland districts o
 England, and may be met trudginl
 along the roads, reaping hooks an'
 "crooks conspicuously on their shoul
 ders, with other belongings in 8 smal
 bundle beside. They are often accom-
 panied by their wives and children, il
 gangs like gypsies, their sun-browne,
 skins and not overclean habiliment
 telling that they have been living an
 sleeping su6 fore, or at the best in barn or under sheds.
 But this annual intrusion into tn domain of the English farm -laborer only for brief period of time; an l when over so also are his exceptions ) wages. Autumn on, his work chief } consists in raising the root crops, an 3 getting them put away in pits ( r "buries, secure against the adver - of the winter frosts. This, howeve = calls for no outside help; indeed, nt 8 all of that which the neighborhood ca 3 itself supply; and further on in tt t year there is still less to do, the staff c l a 2OO-acre farm being reduced to i - lowest and regular number, two or thrt 8 men and boy. Then the laborer O, l of engagement, who for month or S 8 weeks has been holding his head high 8 no blame to him-returns to his norm l condition of humility, and hat in hal t solicits employment-a weeks work, ( !. only days. Give it to him at u l. orthodox two shillings wages, and l. will look upon you as the bestower of Q boon. Every winter scores of the y unemployed men present themselves r my gate, absolutely begging for '' O of a job." At such times, were it n r for the coal and iron mines, wi