Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-10-25


NHmber OF LabOrefs On fHrm- IN lh'
| Future
| JhicasO Times,
Foreigners who visit this country ARE
invariably surprised at the very small
number Of persons thOy find employed
on farms and about farm-h0uscs, and
their surprise is no less at the large
number OF horses and the great amount
of machinery. The present condition
o affairs, as regards few men and
many horses and machines, is chiefly
the OutgrOwih of circumstances al
tending the late civil war. A million
men were called from peaceful pur-
suits to join the ranks OF the army.
There were as many person to fcedand
clothe as before, and much smaller
number TO produce the articles re-
quired to do IT. The waste Of war is
always terrible. 1t is part of the
business of q hostile army to destroy
as much of the clothing, provision, and
forage of tho enemy rs possible. The
greater was the demand for all kinds
of farm products the longer tho war
continued. Tho demand for labor
saving machines and implements that
would do the work Of men on farms
stimulated inventors. Machines were
brought out that could perform almost
every kind Of farm operation. Wheat
and other small grains were produced
almost without manual labor Farmers
soon became tired of doing hand work.
Thei began to prefer those crops that
could bo produced almost entirely by
the aid Of machinery. Although fewer
men were employed on n given aroa Of
farming country the amount Of food
produced was mach greater. As the
wages Of larm laborers advanced farm.
ers studied how they could dispense
with as many rs possible. 1t was be-
lievcd by many that economy in farm
management consisted in the diSplaco-
ment Of aborers and the substitution
OF horses and machinery. Every large
farmer was experimenting in seeing
how far he could 20 in dispensing with
human labor.
1t is altogether likely that farmers in
many parts of the country have gone
too far in substituting horses and ma
chimes for men. OF course it is cXpeu-
sivo to employ laborerS. Their wages
amount to large sum, and they must
be paid in cash or its equivalent. The
board Of labortrs constitute another
large bill Of expense. But it must be
remembered that horses are expensive.
II costs n large sum TO raise or buy
them. The shelter, food, care, shoes,
and harness they require amounts to
large sum annually. Allfarmcrs are
beginning to find out that machines
are very expensive. Their first cost is
large, there is almost a constant de-
mand for repairs, and with the little
care bstOwed on them they are soon
destroyed Farmers who raise grain
know how large Il proportion of 1t is
required to pay for machinery and
horses. The small grams now receive
more attention than other crops be-
cause they can he produced with little
manual labor. The reluctance Of large
farmers to employ laborerS has caused
the general neglect Of most Of the
minor field crops which We're Of great
value to farmers before the general in
PRODUCTION Of machinery. Compare
lively few western farmers engage in
the production of tobacco apd hops he
cause they require 50 much work.
They prefer crops that can be raised
by the use of horses and machines.
Tho production Of root crops, small
fruits, and garden vegetables is neg
lCCtrd for the same reason. They can
not be raised by the employment of
machines. Hand work is required for
their production. Most OF them can he
raised ON many farms in large puanti-
ties without interfering with the pro.
dsction OF large crops If grain. They
require but little land, but they call for
the labor of many hands. Their pro-
duction would add greatly to the liz
come OF farms and would benefit com
munity by furnishing employment to
many persons.
Farmers have long been studying
how to dispense with laborers aS far a.
possible. They have succeeded in pro-
ducing several crops almost entirely by /
the aid Of machines and animals. Ii is
now time that they give attention TO
the matter of employing more laborcrN |
on and about farms. The crops that |
have been neglected so long shouldn |
receive attention. As land increases in |
value il becomes necessary to so man
age it that it will yield largcrrevenuc
to the owners. Admitting that there
is economy in employing machines for
doing most Of the work OF raising corn |
and the small grains, il does not follow |
that some hama work is not economical |
in connection with the work performed |
by machines. The hand hoe can be |
very proiitably employed with the horse
hoe in cultiyaling Il crop OF corn. beans,
or potatoes. Premiums are generally |
awarded to crops that have received |
considerable cultivation by hand. |
Many crops can only bu produced by
the employment of hand work. They !
require the closest attention in order TO !
BIZ very productive. The wants of each !
lnulNluuul Ulaul luNSl w ulltHNNN w HV
the proper time. No horse or other
beast of burden has the intelligence of
men and women. No machines can
perform certain kinds of work as well
as the human hand. Tobacco and
hops will only become leading crops in
the west when farmers are willing to
employ large numbers of laborers. The
production of grapes and berries of all
kinds calls for many hands. The like
is true in regard to the production of
nearly all garden vegetables. Having
succeeded in producing the principal
commercial crops by the aid ofmacnin-
cry, farmers should now consider the
propriety of increasing their revenues
by the employment of more laborcrs.
Religious tendencies.
Demorcst's Monthly for November.
An orthodox clergyman in the New
York Tribune calls attention, with
some alarm, to the tendency toward
free thought in all the orthodox
churches in tho world. The leading
religious teachers, even in the oldest
and most conservative sects, are criti-