The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1883-03-22
Farm Help.

al III
The season has now arrived when
farmers OF torethought are beginning to
think seriously concerning the hep
they will employ during the coming
summer. We are not at all satisfied
with the condition of the farm help
trade and customs prevailing generally
throughout New England, and indeed
to large extent all through the coun-
try. There seems to be a great deal
more shifting of laborers on farms than
in most or many other industries. The
city merchant or manufacturer, when
advertising for help, often advertises
for a young man to "learn the bust
ness" with anticipation O. partnership.
If young man desires TO learn a
trade, he expects TO serve a term of
years as apprentice and at very moder-
ate wages. After serving his time. if
he is not taken into partnership. he may
spend few years as ':journeyman,'
going from shop 10 shop, or city to city,
and working year or more at place,
in order to perfect himself in h art.
Since the agricultural colleges have
been established in many OF the States,
there are few young men to be found,
who, having passed through the public
schools and then taken a course al the
agricultural college, are DESTROYS to OBJ
tain a more practical knowledge of
farm work in all its everyday sineSs
details than is possible at the college.
Some OF these young men would make
excellent help to employ, and farmers
who can appreciate the diI erence be-
tween good, faithful, intelligent men
who are striving to lean the business
thoroughly, and the careless and shift
less itinerant, who never suits his en-
ployer well enough to be hired the Sec
Ond time could afford to pay such H.
telligent help very liberal wages,
whether for a single season or for q
term of years.
We believe. too, that if young men OF
the stamp we have desert ed would
make up their minds to spend from
eight to ten years as journeymen farm
ers, an would save the wages which
their emp.o ers would be glad to pay
them, they would at the end of that
period find it not a difficult matter to
settle Themselves IL on n farm of their
own. an if there should be some de t
upon it, they wonld, as a rule, be able to
manage it su cess;ully. The majority,
however, of those who leave the agri-
cultural college seem to think that thev
must get into some other business by
which to earn the means for buying a
farm. This, we believe, is mistake.
There is a constantly increasing num-
her of men of intelligence and means,
who are anxious to obtain responsible
and capable young men to help them TO
carry on their farms. Many of these
men are not | articularly anxious to
make money by their farming opera
tions, but want a good home on their
country farms, and hope at least to
make them self-supporting, ex as re-
CARDS interest on the investment and
they can afford and are willing to pay
an intelligent man, who understands
his business well enough to farm upon
his own account, all that he can posi-
bly, earn as a farm manager or work
man. And there SHOULD be larger
number of yong men ready to fill such
places. The fact is, the places are
much more abundant than are the men
to fill them. There his scarcely been a
time for years that we could not find
good place for good man on a farm,
where the Jay wo Id be all that he
could earn, whether it were much or
little.
AS trade and manufacturing are now
carried on in this country, the number
who are employed is comparatively
very small who can ever hope to stand
at the head of large manufacturing or
trading house. To become foreman
or overseer of adepartment is the height
of their ambition, while the great ma
joritv would be we'll contented if they
could be assured of steady employment
in the minor places.
On the farms the case is quite differ
emit Few seem willing to work for
Others, but all are in haste to strike out
for themselves. and that before they
have half learned their business. No
better evidence of the truth of this is
needed than look at the condition of
the majority of those who run in debt
for farms. The rule is scarcely with
out an exception that men buy more
land than they can possibly use, with
the capital they have. in any way that
will bring them as high rates of interest
on their Investment as thew are required
to pay to those of whom they borrow.
Young farmers seem to be very impa-
tient to get hold OF land which they can
call their own, even if they heavily owe
for it--Net0 England Farmer.