The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-26
Management in Farming.

Correspondence Country Gentleman.
We are too much inclined to plan as our fathers
planned This will not do; the world has moved,
things have changed, living expenses much
more. Taxes are on the increase every year. and
we must have more to sell to meet them, or fail
ure will be the result If we must employ high
priced labor, let us study to have it well
directed. not running to waste here and
will accomplish much more work with the
same help than others. and the reason
is, they make every move tell. But we must not
'be penny wise and pound foolisn"-all the we'll
directed labor necessary to perform the work on
the farm, in workmanlike manner must be
employed; anything short of this is a waste of
what is employed
Let the bills for labor be light from the LIST of
December to the LIST of March. The days are
short, many of them stormy, and we need very
little help sit by fire and read our agricultural
papers. Too much help is hindrance at such
a time: but to ourselves the stormy day may be
turned to good account.
My experience of more than thirty years on
one farm has taught me that, with scarcely an
exception, there comes time every season when
all the operations on the farm-the blowing and
sowing, the planting and hoeing. reaping and
threshlng-can be carried on under favorable
circumstances and conditions. 1t may come
early, 1t may como late; butt is almost sure to
come, and the grand thing is to be ready when
1t does come, and push as if every day were
the last. In this way we economic labor,
lessen the demand, and lower the price. 1t is
folly TO complain about high wages as long as
the demand is what it is at present A aboring
man has right to make all he can out of his
labor. In one sense labor is q commodity; if
the demand is good the price must be high aud
the poor man who has only the work of his hands
to dispose of, should not be blamed if he tries to
get the full price that his labor can be made to
command.
So much for lowering expenses. Now, how
shall we raise the price of our productsl To
combine to hold certain product for a stpu.
lated price is a failure; there can be no concert
OF action--too great variety of opinion. But
it needs no concert Of action for farmer to de-
termine that he will raise better article than
his neighbor, and in this way obtain a better
price, and consequently more profit. We fail
to realize that in the little extra price the
profit comes in. Many farmers are never salts
fed no matter what the price, they are always
holding for a better one. 1 have always found
it safe to sell any crop when it was ready for
market and the buyers were wanting it The
time to sell anything is when you have buyer
1.-The proper time to set hen ia when she wants
to sit" The great trouble with the average
farmer is waiting in all things for
more favorable opportunity. The shrinkage
on crop of grain that might be sold in the fall,
by holding it until spring or later, by loss in
weight and destruction by rats and mice, and
other causes, is far more than most farmers real
ize. The keeping of a horse or horses for which
you have no discovery year they live getting
less Misunderstanding on simply because not Of
fered all you think they worth, is folly. Bet
ter make your buyer present of few dollars
than waste the amount of feed and care on the
horse.