The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-05-05
Fam Helm

of cheaper help but, generally. what
they seem to gain by lower nominal
wages is more than offset by lack OF
efficiency or other drawbacks. With
help on the farm or anywhere else the
best is always the cheapest. The best
farm help has for many years been
growing scarce. 1t is often not to be
had at any price for the most energetic.
skillful and enterprising believe they
can make more working for themselves.
If obliged, as many are. to spend part
of what they earn in summer in keep
ing themselves during the winter. they
are probably right in thus thinking.
On the other hand, farmers cannot keep
men through the winter unless they
have profitable work to set them at. 1t
is better for both parties. but whether
practicable depends entirely on
the ability of the farmer to find OIL
make profitable employment
1t matter of some difficulty for
many farmers to find continuous pro-
litable work during the summer. This
must largely depend on the variety of
crops grown. Work there will always
be on the farm, work in making bitches,
fences and other improvements. Few
farmers. however, can employ largo
proportion of their own or their mems
time in working at things which,
though important and profitable. can
only be expected to pay after series OF
years. They have not sufficient capt.
III TO afford it. Their necessities re-
quire that most of their summers work
shall be given to crops that bring i'm
mediate returns. What they pay for
wages. together with other expenses,
must be met from the current years
crops. To make these as large as pos
sible the great proportion of work
must be devoted to their production
and harvesting.
The only way to do this is to arrange
the crops so that each season will have
its hurrying buisS time. The hired
man under this planning will have no
sinecure. but lie will see growing
under his eye the where
withal to pay him. and will work
work cheerfully. as only man sure of
his pay can. There is more in this
than most people think. The fact has
been often remarked that rich men. or
those who are active and energetic.
can employ better help and get more
work from them than the poor and en-
terprising. Even the Southern slaves
in olden times used to pride themselves
on being the property of the CHI. pros
porous master. The feeling is intensely
stronger with hired farm help, who see
their own prosperity so largely de-
pendent on that of their employers. 1t
is hard thing for a man to try to farm
with deficient capital. Not only is he
precluded from taking advantage of
markets. but the help he hires will not
work for him as they would for one
more prosperous and successful.
The poor man attempting to farm.
however. can in part make up for his
lack of capital first by trying to do
more than he is certainly able to &C.
complish, and secondly by such ar
rangement of his farm work as to make
the help he has hired do the utmost
that is possible. If he is sure to have
a large harvest of wheat or other small
grain it will be an expensive job to do
it all with help hired by the day.
Equally or more expensive will it be to
hire help by the month for the season
without providing profitable work for
the time before and after harvest A
few years ago a farmer related to us
his experience in a case of this kind.
He had upward of thirty acres of
wheat, with only one Of the old fash
Toned reapers. In view of this he plant
ed enough potatoes and corn to make
work before and after his wheat har-
vest, hired two men. one for the season
and one for three months. and had
scarcely day through the summer
when himself and both his men were
not urgently needed to cultivate or
harvest Practical Farmer.