Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-06-25
Aampruns 9epartment. The farm and firesiae.
HARD LABOR.

Many young men are doubtless deferred
from undertaking farm by the frequent
use of the term "hard labor" which seems,
by general consent, to be peculiar to the
farm. No other kind Of labor was ever so
misrepresented. If the labor on the farm
is so hard it is the farmers fault. All work
will be hard to dolt, an imbecile and lazy
man; for neither will act as promptly, nor
embrace the opportunities offered him by
the advancing civilization and improve
thoughtful man who opens farm with sys-
tenn, method, good order, and acts prompt
ly, punctually up to the we'll established
rules of its requirements, need ever per-
form labor than is inconsistent with good
health and happiness. Nature does not re-
uuire men to labor beyond this, and those
who do so involuntarily have other motives
than mere duty and the desire for compe-
tency; or else labor through ignorance of
easier ways.
How to farm without ''hard work" is
what civilization is now teaching, or ought
to teach, and what should be impressed up
on the rising generation. Any man may be
over-worked by severe task master, and
at any kind of work, but that does not nec-
essarily make the work hard. This is a
matter for the regulation of custom and the
laws have no right to impose burdens upon
the people. At least one of the inalienable
rights of mankind is the pursuit of happi-
ness, and no man can be happy compelled
to incessant hard labor. Neither law nor
custom, however, can, or ought to prevent
his doing so of his own volition, and from
this he must be saved by education, by pre-
cept and example.
If the farmer who cultivated so acres last
year has undertaken 100 acres this year,
what are we to infer? He was so success
determined him to undertake double the
area of his previous triumph; and right
here is where the "hard" labor comes in.
He is straining every nerve to enjoy brief
season of wealth and ease. AS he works
hard, of course he expects all his help to do
the same, and this insane spirit spreads
abroad, takes possession of the whole coun-
try, and we find ourselves going with whirl-
wind speed on what we call the road to
prosperity-an increase Of wealth, perhaps;
but most assuredly, at the sacrifice of health,
yigor, life, happiness and all that make life
worth living for.
Let young farmers be taught that hard
work can be made easy by proper atten-
tion to the methods Of execution, by intel
ligence, by order, method and prompt ac-
oSo
about investing it with the comforts and
sweet attractions which home should pos
sess. Take time to do things we'll and find
out always what is the next best thing to do.
VITALITY OF RED OATs.-The first week
in last August, says Laurens, S. g., cor
RESPONDENT of the Southern CWtiUator, side
narrowed piece of cotton land, first SOW
ing red oats; the dry fall following very
few of the oats sprouted. None of them
came up until about the first of November; {;
on the flat places in the field, the stand is
tolerably good, also on the red land. There
are occasional spots of white gravel land
with good stand-Why the skips over the
field, on both red and sandy land, cannot
understand. next sowed red oats the first
of November, and they staid in the ground
until the first of January, then commenced
peeping through. The snow, sleets and
freezes followed in rapid succession, but I
find the stand pretty good. In January
and February, when I could catch dry
day, / plowed in more oats. 1 find them
coming up, and will have stand sufficient
to make a fair crop. The best red oats
ever raised were sown in December and did
not come up until the following February.
The poorest crops raised have been from
oats sOwn in August and September. Some
of my neighbors ploWed up their August
oats; sowed again in October and Novem-
ber, and after Christmas went to breaking
up the land for corn. They were too hasty.
If the oats had been left a sufficient time,
think they would have come to a stand,
that is, enough for at least one-half a crop.
Nearly every farmer with us is buying
corn. Many are out of fodder and shucks,
and have no roughness for their cattle, so
the oat crop is a big item with us; our grain
crops are very backward. Wheat, oats and
barley are the smallest ever saw them in
the month of April. If these crops survive
the bitter cold weather of the last three
months, itlooks like we can raise good grain
crops any winter with good preparation and
good seed.