Rocky Ford enterprise., 1900-04-20
FARMING MATTERS.
WORKING ON A FARM.

.
wsy y'R.seh uasds Are Hard 70 Oct ssd
!. Keep.
WS reaA every now and then an
item In the papers about the scarcity
Il help on the ranches. and from what
know of.R We are going TO keep on
reading such stun for years To come.
Let us see why such things are. \
year or 10 ago . strappIng young fcl.
low. who was raised on q farm and
thoroughly understands the art, told
me ihnt he had overworked himself
one hot day aud had been wufcrin. the
cOnseqIences ever since. lie asked "
! thought u change Of climate would liz
beneficial. ! thought II would nnd. MI.
vised him to 20 To the southern part OF
the state and try II u season. lie OBJ
tnineJ the address OF farmer and
made some Inquiries about wages. op-
enlngs, etc, giving references. The
farmer wanted hand and at once
wrote Offering him s22 month. The
young man accepted the offer and went.
After he had been there about two
months he wrote me letter, n portion
OF which I copy: when ! first came
here got along finely building fences
and other light work. and was settinI
into good condition. hut when spring
work began. the boss commenced Ia
put me through. and have bScn work
Ing seventeen hours day ever since.
ON Sundays II takes about half the
day to do up NIL the odd chores, ~
do not have any chance 10 80 Ia church
or any where. or get acquainted with
anybody. ! do not feel amy brttcr
now than when came The boss II u
pretty good man. hut he works fcl-
low 100 hard. I'll stand II Will.
longer and II he doesn't let up somc
we'll have u FUSS
Why the boys leave the farm hn~
been text for hundreds OF learned cs-
says and iaborci tiisqtiIsitlons. This
little excerpt gives one little rcason In
q nutshell.
\ miner said to me: ~ used to work
on ranch abou; fifteen hour q day.
by hot SUM and half fro1cA by bliE
yards ali for SO month. Now !
work about half as hard ulne hours n
day In n dry place. where the icmpcrn.
tur~ IL always the same, and make 81
u day. When have come out. there
ARE NO chores to keep me drudging mn
hour or two. All ] have 10 do IL TO
slick up. ent supper. then have Ivoi
Time with lots 81 company. You'll never
scc me moiiins and broiling and freezing
ona farm a.nin." Hut. 'sald !. work.
inH In q mine Is dangerous business"
There's not half ~ much danger In
mining Us there IL In handling horses
aud bulls. and monkcyiue with tarm
machinery. Not half! have done
both and know what am talking
about.
''Thc tcnutifui green fields aud um.
bragcous shade arc all right II you
have nothing To do bat loll In ham.
meek or ride In carrlses; but when n
fellow has - walk over plowed
ground about sixteen hours. or work
like slave In the rid hot harvest and
alfalfa fields from sunup To sundown.
,h-rc l. mighty little poetry or romance
In IT,"
lf were ~tron. young man with
only common school education. and
was obliged To go into the world emp
ty.hnndcSi 10 earn my bread by plain.
liarl labor. would steer clear Of the
farm. ] might not go into the mines.
hut would thousand times rathcr
do that than wreck my constitution
shaving sixteen hours q day for man
who had no morc regard Tor the than
for his mule. ] do not blame most of
the boys for leaving the farm at the
first opportunity.