St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-11-17
Employing Help on Farms.

Foreigners who visit this country are
Invariably surprised at the very small
number of persons they find employed
on farms and about farm-houses, and
their surprise is no less at the large
number Of horses and the great amount
of machinery. The present condition
of affairs, as regards few men and
| many horses and machines, is chiefly
the outgrowth of circumstances at
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 persons to feed
and clothe as before, and much
smaller number to produce the articles
required to do it. The waste of war is
always terrible. 1t is a part of the
business of hostile army to destroy as
much of the clothing, provision and
forage of the enemy as possible. The
greater was the demand for all kinds of
farm products the longer the war con-
tinued The demand for labor-saving
machines and implements that would
do the work of men on farms stimu-
lated 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. Farm
ers soon became tired of doing hand
work. They began to prefer those
crops that could be produced almost
entirely by the aid of machinery. Al
though fewer men were employed on a
given area of farming country the
amount of food produced was much
greater. AS the wages of farm labor
ers advanced, farmers studied how they
could dispense with as many as posi-
BILE. It was believed by many that
economy in farm management consist
ed in the displacement of laborers and
the substitution of horses and ma
chinery. Every large farmer was ex-
perimenting in seeing how far he could
60 in dispensing with human labor.
It 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 expen-
sive to employ laborers. Their wages
amount to large sum, and they must
be paid in cash or its equivalent. The
board of laborers constitutes another
large bill of expense. But it must be
remembered that horses are expensive.
1t costs a large sum to raise or buy
them. The shelter, food, care, shoes
and harness they require amounts to a
large sum annually. All farmers are
beginning to find out that machines are
very expensive. Their first cost is
large, there is almost constant de-
mand for repairs, and with the little
l.
destroyed. Farmers who raise grain
know how large a proportion of it is
required to pay for machinery and
horses. The small grains now receive
more attention than other crops because
they can be produced with little manual
labor. The reluctance of large farmers
to employ laborers has caused the gen.
eral neglect of most of the minor field
crops which were of great value to
farmers before the general Introduction
of machinery. Comparatively few
Western farmers engage in the produc-
ton of tobacco and hops because they
require so much work They prefer
crops that can be raised by the use of
horses and machines. The production
of root crops, small fruits and garden
vegetables is neglected 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 be raised on many farms
in large quantities without interfering
with the production of large crops of
grain. They require but little land, but
they call for the labor of many hands.
Their production would add greatly to
the income of farms, and would benefit
community by furnishing employment
to many persons.
Farmers have long been studying how
to dispense with laborers as far as pos
sible. They have succeeded in produce
ing several crops almost entirely by the
aid of machines and animals. 1t is now
time that they give attention to the
matter of employing more 1aborers on
and about farms. The crops that have
been neglected so long should now re-
ceive attention. AS land increases in
value it becomes necessary to so man
age it that it will yield a larger revenue
to the owners. Admitting that there
is economy in employing machines for
doing most of the work of raising corn
and small grains, it does not follow that
some hand work is not economical in
connection with the work performed by
the machines. The hand hoe can be
very. proftably employed with the
horse hoe in cultivating crop OF corn,
beans or potatoes. Premiums are gen
orally awarded to crops that have re-
ceived considerable cultivation by hand.
Many crops can only be produced by
the employment OF hand labor. They
require the closest attention in order to
be very productive. The wants OF each
individual plant must be attended to at
the proper time. No horse or beast OF
burden has the intelligence Of men and
women. No machines can perform GER
tain kinds of work as well as the human