The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1901-06-15
FARMER PLANTER.
MACHINERY VS.. HAND LABOR.
The Modern Farmer Can Not Afford
to Ignore Machinery In the
Making Of Crops.

Making OF CfOps.
The rapid introduction of machin-
cry has brought great changes into
the methods of production. This il as
true of agriculture es any other line
of labor. We can not afford to ig-
more the improved implements. We
can not now go back to the hand cy-
Gle or the scythe as an instrument
with which to harvest our grain. We
can not go back to the whip-saw to
make lumber.
The better plan is to try to keep up
with all real improvements in our
farm machinery. The old-fashioned
bull-tongue and shovel answered in
their day for a certain kind of work,
but that does not prove that they are
still the best plows or that there is
economy in using them.
The growing scarcity and inefficien-
cy of labor emphasize the necessity of
getting such tools as will do more
work and better work. We must use
two and four-horse teams, and plows
and harrows and rollers that will
move and crush more soil per day
and do it better. Just as the mower
and reaper and steam thresher and
hay press have revolutionized the
cutting and saving OF hay and small
grain, SO, better plows and harrows
must break up. and move land and
break it better.
1t is no use saying some of these
do not do as good work as they are
recommended to do. Prejudice will
not do in this matter. Reason and
knowledge and experiment must set
tie these things.
But the point we wish to get at
here and now is this: We must make
up our minds to use more and better
farm tools. We must so arrange that
one man can do more work and do it
better. We must get away from the
one-horse pillow.
With full outfit one man can do
the blowing for forty or fifty acres
and it is cheaper in the end to get the
outfit and let him do it than to go
on in the old way and with the old
tools.
Deep preparation and shallow rapid
cultivation is the motto of the pro-
gressive farmer OF 1901. Study about
it and get Mt it.
Many are ready to say we are not
able to make this change. Then you
are not able to keep on farming.
These things will enable you to have
more money at the end of the season.
Human labor is the most costly la
Dor. Mule labor is next. Machine la
Dor is cheapest of all. Then it follows
that it you use human labor you spend
more on your crop. As you reduce
the number of hands and horses to be
fed you reduce the cost of the crop.
If you can not arrange to buy the
implements You need otherwise, then
you had better cut down the crop.
DO without one or more mules and
hands. Sell the mule. and the feed
he would have needed, and with the
proceeds buy the tools you need.
Then in short time you can increase
the area again if you wish. If this
should compel you to leave out part
of the land you expected to crop on.
then just take your new harrow and
smooth it down, and your new now
err, and cut the grass, and your new
haypress, and bale it, and so you will
get more than if you had gone crop
ping it the old way.
The great point in profitable farm
ing is to be found in cutting down
the cost of production. No manu-
featuring business can flourish that
does not constantly get new and bet
ter machinery. The same viii be true
of the farming of the future.
We are often met along this line Of
argument by the answer that the
farms are not filled with CASTOR and
useless plows and often new-fangled
machines, which are not used. We adj
init there is some force in that state
ment. But not as much as is gener-
ally claimed for it.
Some of these were worthless, but
more of them were thrown aside be-
cause of the ignorance of the laborer.
We must look after that. We must
employ the more intelligent iaborers,
and must demand higher standard
of efficiency from all. We can not car
ry SO great a burden of ignorance.
1t is because improved implements
demand higher skill and Intelligence,
that it pays. The farm standard must
be raised.-Southern Cultivator.
ANN wrY 0vc