Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-03-29

Farming on Shares
Two or three sections of Mr.. Gilman's
recently published work on Profit Sharing,
are devoted to product sharing in connection
with farm management, in which are refer
ences to American and especially New Eng
and customs; and also an examination
Of the systems of profit sharing as distinct
from. product sharing in actual operation in
severn. European countries notably in Prus-
sia and Germany.
That farming on shares or product
sharing is carried on quite extensively in
the United States, HAY he gathered from the
fact that the census of 1850 gave a22 1857
AZ the number of tenant farmers on a mors.y
rent, and 1O2 pa Who were carrying on
farms on a share rent. Where so large
number of farmers are managing farms in
this way, il becomes very interesting TO
know the general nature of tie terms upon
which they are carried on.
The labor question" in agriculture causes
less difficulty than in any other industrial oc-
cupation in the country and this even
though agriculture in an age Of manufacture
ing employs BY far the largest number of
workers Of any occupation. The farm labor
er working side by side with the farm owner
cannot but be stimulated by the Owners indus
try and carefulness TO be dilizent and econom
zeal. II he has any ambition whatever to one
day possess a farm himself and be at the
head of his own prosperous business, every
days work under an intelligent. pru-
dent farmer aids in forming his plans to
hired workers on the common farm and the
consequent dispersion of the entire body of
lsborers over a large territory. tend power
fully to discourage anything ike strikes.
aborers On the basis of the wages system
in farming, and the payment in kind, or the
products Of the land, there have been built
up Industrial organizations which practice
division of share of the years profits
among the lsborers in addition to their own
wages Inder this scheme the owner of the
land enters into an agreement with the labor
er under the terms Of which the farmer fur
nishes the land with necessary buildings, and
often part or the whole of the stock,
seed, and farming tools required 10 do the
work while on the other hand the farm
operator pays specified part, usually one
half Of the crops of the farm or products
of his labor Thus the land owner and the
farmer enter into an industrial partnership,
the principle Of which is that of division
OF the products, whether or not these prod
ucts have realized prof! on the capital in-
vested in land. or the labor required to do the
work These partnerships have been com
mon al! over the country, generally but little
trouble arises from them, and they show com
pletely the essential virtues and strong points
in this system of industrial product sharing.
/ Some DETAILS Of this system may be of in
terest. In New England as common rule,
( the person farming on shares pays one half
Of the taxes ana the cost of repairs, pro-
y.des half the seed and divides the crops
equally with the owner. In New Hampshire
the owner of grass lands freqen;ly has two
thiris OF the yield in consideration of the
smaller amount of labor de manded in growing
and harvesting the crop In some parts of
Connecticut the tenant is paid for his share
of the crops in money but when such is the
case he is generally required to carry them
to market himself West of the Alleghauies
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