Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-03-23
HIRING HELP ON THE FARM.

"I greatly need help on my farm, snt
would like TO have the labor question
discussed In the Farmer" writes ouuf
farmer.
The price Of nearly all the STAPLE
production Of the farm have ruled Low
the past year, aud must continue meas
ui-sbly so for year TO come. At th'
same time the price OF such labor as ,
| Maine farmer wants on his farm remains
the same "a years ago, when the income
from Il WAS much greater than now
This makes il very difficult, or quite i'm
possible, to make this labor return III
lc)st. He ice wt1a young farmer bu
recently starting out In business FOL
himself and having no great accummuls
tions with which to bridge over any de
| ficiency that NAV occur at the end OF the
year, he may we'll look the problem ovel
before entering into an arrangement IN At
does not promise to psy its way through
Tie writer has always employed helI
on the farm, whatever the outlook. II
land is not kept st work 1t is poor prop
erty. II must be kept doing something
Neglected to run down In production, II
rapidly deterioates In actual value, and
drugs the owner down with II. Thi:
course will never answer with any farm
er. Ii only leads TO poverty OF pocket
with the owner, and poverty Of soil with
the land. Hence there are years when
the hired help Is actually paying Its way
though the immediate returns from the
lator do not figure that way. This is q
view Of the problem that no owner OF
farm should overlook.
Ii Is a peculiar characteristic OF land,
and not to be found with any other class
Of property, that the more you draw
from it the more valuable II grows.
Treat Il so generously as TO secure good
crops, and II is left In condition to do
still better the next year. Neglect II
and there Is the double loss Of less crop
and lost productiveness. Hence the
farmer with means will find II to his
advantage TO carry on his work with
steady hand. Seasons OF depression
pass by, and the reaction is sure TO come
which tits the balance In the other
direction and finds the productive acres
all ready for q generous response.
hut the amount Of labor needed TO
carry on farm and keep up its condi-
tiol depends of course on the kind OF
farming carried on. This may be great
ly modified without reducing the pro.
ductiye condition Of the land. Hence
there may be great saving OF hired
help made by adopting y system OF farm
Management that calls for the leas,
practicable of man labor. Such course
Is found In the exclusive production OF
fodder crops IN be fed out 10 stock
Tnls work from beginning to end Is
chiefly done by the team. IL Ia, too. 8
linz Of work thai, properly handled, may
be relied upon for profitable results
Untier conditions, and surrounding
adapted TO this line Of production such a
course has much TO commend Ii. Ia
large measure il solves the perplexing
problem Of hired help on the farm. Thi;
doe: not and need not by any means
contemplate the neglect and the run
nin,, down of the land. Rather 1t means
the working Of the soil for the produc-
tion of such crops as require the least
labor. This system can be easily drop
ped into any year. We commend II 10
the attention OF those who are consider
ing the probably Of hired help on the
fsrfl.
The question Of labor on the farm Is
an important one. We throw out the
sboye ideas as suggestive rather than
directory.-Msine Farmer.