News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-11-29
A YEXED QUESTION.
What "a Practical Man Who Has Studied
the subject, Has to say About II.

DIR. REYNOLDS, of Livermore Falls, Me-.
says:-Why do the boys leave the farm ?
is a question which has been, from time
to time, much discussed, and the general
conclusion arrived at seems to be that
the boys leave the farm because they Ell
terrain the mistaken idea that they can
get q living easier and obtain wealth
faster in the cities and large towns than
on the old farm. This undoubtedly will
explain the reason why some boys leave
the farm, but this explanation does not
apply to all. One would think, while
reading some Of the articles upon this
subject. that those boys who leave the
farm and 90 to the city had the choice of
a good farm given them if they would
only stay at home, but rejected this
offer and deliberately preferred to go to
the city. This may occasionally happen,
but not often. The larger part of those
boys who leave the farm have no farm
and are not likely to have a farm until
they work out as hired labOrers and
earn enough to buy one. They have to
choose IS to where they Will work, on a
farm or in the city or manufacturing
town. They generally decide against
working on the farm, and for very good
reasons, The ''hired man" on the farm
has to make long days and then milk be-
fore and after his days work is done.
The work is hard, and 4 young man
needs a good strong body to endure the
labor required of him. Then, again,
the term Of service is not usually con-
tinuOUs.
Many of the farmers who hire help
during the summer do not want it
through the winter; consequently the
farm labOrer must look for other work
during the wints"- If he does not find
it his earnings during the summer will
be consumed III paying his board during
the winter. By going to the manufac-
turing towns these young men can find
employment continuously throughout
the year, with regular hours for work;
and to the ambitious youth there will be
a prospect of advancement and increase
of wages, while on the farm there would
not be this prospect OF Advancement. If
the young man IS industrious aud eco
nom:cal he will be likely to save enough
to purchase a farm sooner i'll town than
in the country. Hence many young men,
even if their object is to own a farm as
soon as they can, will leave the farm
temporarily and go to the city. Those
who leave the farm with this intention
may notretun, as they may subsequent
ly become engaged in business enter
prises or attain to lucrative positions
which promise better than farming, so
that they do not carry out the intention
with which they went to the city.
Many young men leave the farm and
go to the city intending never to return
to farming. They are sick of it and
never want any more of it. Farm life
has not been a pleasant experience to
them. 1t has been all work and no play
and no recreation. They have seen
their father work hard day after day, and
year alter year, apparently with little
other thought than to do all the work
possible, and all therest about the prem
Uses have worked as they had strength.
No systematic plans whereby the farm
was ultimately to be made increasingly
productive OF profitable, were attempted
to be carried out If there had been,
then the enthusiasm of the young men
would have been enlisted and the bur
den Of the work would have been light
ened. The work was Just plain, hard,
routine work, and not very paying
either. Too much land was cultivated
and too much work was required for the
return obtained. and the whole routine
was discOuragipo. No attemDt was
made to make home attractive either
extemorIy or interiorIv. No trees.
shrubs, or vines adorned the exterior, no
flower beds or rose bushes added their
beauty and fragrance to the surround
ngs. Inside, very few books or papers
were to be seen, aud the furnishings
We're such as necessity only dictated.
The house was more of a lodging
place than home. Is to be wondered
at that the boy reared in such a place
was willing to Leave i and 20 to the
city Had that boys father been pro-
grG,sSlve farmer, one who was systematic
caIiy trying 70 develop MS farm INTO
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'ne IafAtr' ny ShiIful management,
made ms 1afm operations protltahIe, so
that the ooY coll" nave seen that the re-
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Where there are several bows III the
family and the farm Of only moderate SIZE
there IS not room Tor them all to remain
Mt home. The Older ones as they arrive
at age must necessarily leave the pater-
nal farm, and II their father IS not tinan-
clally able 10 purchase farms Tor them
they must ma some place 10 labor where
they can earn enoHgh money to buy
f0rm, II they are to have one. To pHr-
chase good farm in the Eastern States
requires a capital OF at least 81 600 or
So, 900. To save that sum from the
wages that Young man can earn will
require seVerl Years OF hard work and
close economy IL ne GhoeaVorS TO GO
!h"t Nv 5ctNIilS Us niIeo man on Il Iallu