The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-07-19
HIRING EXTRA FARM HELP.

1t is not possible for farmers to man.
age as they did in olden times. Til,
necessary expenses of the farm ar,
much greater than then. 1t was onct
believed that true economy in farming
consisted in managing 10 incur few ex.
penses. Money was scarce, and wheI
secured by farmers was retained OF
when lost it could never be recovered
The idea Of the business man, to us,
money literally with the purpose of in
creasing it does not belong to old sys
TENS OF farming. Labor was thus used
but money was good for nothing but tC
be boarded to pay debts or buy more
land.
The introduction of labor saving ma
chimes has worked great changes ir
farm methods. One of its first results
was to encourage farmers to attemp
far more than was formerly possible
This broke up the routine that farmeri
had become accustomed to, and obliged
them at other times than when the
labor saving implement was used to en-
ploy extra help. Thus a small force OF
grain farm with a modern harvesting
machine could do all the harvesting
while for fitting the ground and othel
preparations the small force would bt
entirely inadequate. Or if the farmer
maintain an effective force all the year
adequate to the special exigencies Of the
most hurryIng season, there will prob
ably be long intervals when il will have
little or nothing to do.
This is one of the modern farmers
troubles about team help. Every year
a .NT q, Il K
thrown upon the horse. If the farmer
provides teams enough to do his work
without hiring extra teams, he will fol
good share Of the year be keeping
them with not enough to do to pay fol
their hay and oats. 1t is certainly bet.
ter to hire team help if it can be got al
reasonable rates, than to keep more
horses than he needs through the year
Good farmers have said they would
hire team work if it could always be
had, at IS per day, rather than either
do without IL or maintain unnecessary
horses.
1t is very much the same with hiring
extra farm help. 1t is impossible fol
the most experienced farmer to always
calculate closely how many days work
will be needed. A week Of wet wealth.
may upset all his plans, and put him SC
far behind that it will be hopeless TO re.
trieve lost ground during the entire
season. 1t is the necessity of modern
farming that it be aided by extra help
when needed 'uEing the growing sea-
son. For suCu help, if obtainable at the
right time, farmer can well afford Ia
pay high wages. Not getting it subjects
thousands of farmers to the most serious
losses.
Farmers have themselves 10 blame il
help by the day, of men or Of teams, is
not to be had in their neighborhoods
They should encourage it by building
houses, not to be used by tenants, but tC
be bought with the land attached, say
some five or ten acres, as the purchaser
may desire. The men owning these
places will be better citizens than
would be got as tenants, and will FIND
means to employ themselves at home
when their services are not wanted
elsewhere. By offering good pay fol
team work, the owners Of such places
can easily in any good farming neigh,
borhood make more at this busines,
than most farmers can make on largI
farms, and il will be for the advantage
Of the entire neighborhood that they
should do so.
Live and let live should be the farm
er's motto in the employment of hireC
help. BY just and liberal dealing il il
easy TO gather in any community thOs'
whose services can be got in times o.
exigency. If by special crops which re
quire more labor, the farmer buildi
round him village of small land own
ers, il is certain that the value of hi,
own land will increase rather than di
minish thereby Am. Cultivator