The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1899-05-20
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE FARM LABOR PROBLEM.
The Negro the Best Kind of LabOrer
the Southern Farmer NOW has'
and He Must Make Best Of Hin.

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Science with books, and observation
with practical tests enable the soil cul-
tiyators and workers to know to some
extent what different soils are COM
nosed of and what such soils lack Tor
the production of different crops. All
farmers know something OF what ma
nure is and its uses, and that lano
rich with plant food, either natural OF
applied, will bring good and apun-
dant crops when properly and indus
triously worked. The farmer may
have the best of land, the best OF SEED
and the best of teams and working |
irnplements, and yet raise poor crops. |
Why? Just because he has no inter
ligent, industrious and reliable LABOR.
The farm labor in this country is quite
exclusively negro labor. All who de-
pend on this class of labor and use II
know its character. In his former
(ond, as / think, his legitimate and
natural place. he could be relied on
and made to serve as good farm
hand. OF course then, as now, all I'M
skilled labor had to be controlled and
directed by intelligent brains. There
is no question but what the negro II
the best kind of laborer we now have,
and we have to make the best and
most of him.
The character and nature of the
negro race is well known by all who
have come in intimate contact with
him. He acts as being dependent on
the white race (quite as much SO IN
some respects) as when slave. AS n
farm hand, when Saturday night
comes he wants his weeks work,
whether it be little or much, for he
spends it all by Monday morning, and,
rs a rule, is no richer then than he
was Saturday night before he got his
nav: and it is too often the case when
Monday morning comes your hand is
not on hand to go to work, and q
either crippled with whisky and q
fight, or in the lookup or has hired to
work to another man: l have learned
to find no fault with him for such
conduct, for he is just built this way
and can't reverse the natural law d
creation. OF course there are many
notable exceptions in the conduct ant
character of the race, but these art
only exceptions. know negroes witt
are as reliable and worthy as the bes
white men. The best hand have hat
in 30 years on the farm was negro
and he continued such for four years
till he got to be preacher and put o.
a plug hat, spectacles and long-tai
coat, then had to fire him out tn
front gate.
We may safely state that the labo
question is the dominant question o.
the farm at this time. Good and sue
cessful farming can't be done withou
good and reliable farm labor. Gu
farmers are getting brains, but tn
great want in Drawn that is sure an
stcadfast. Can it be true what "Ol
ST. said that ''when you put spelling
book in a negro's hand you lost
good field hand?" 1t looks as if TIL
was true.
The big question is this: Can th
negro be made good farm hand,
must we look to other sources Il
farm labor? My opinion is that the'
is enough white labor to do all OF II
manual, as it is now doing the menta
labor of this country. The questic
comes in right here--how to make
available. Must the negro be crowds
aside and become an excresence, da
gerous and damaging to our whole S
cial and economic being, or shall he
removed beyond our borders to COZ
munity of his own
Thanks to government efforts Al
work, and to the flood of rural liter
ture that in recent years has cover'
the land, the farmers, as rule, a
well equipped on the mental and m
tcrial side of farm business, but Z
tug now is, the manual labor to car
out and make effectiye the knowled
of the master. This question of far
labor is big one and is growing Z
cry day, and the time is not maj
years hence when the acute state
the question will confront our far
ers, and then there will be mu
s.trouble in the land."-W. Cook.
Farmers Home Journal.