The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-07-23
KANSAS WHEAT HARVEST.
Some Interesting Features OF the An
nual Labor Problem.

crops OF winter Wneat, ana go at the
work with far lighter hearts than any
one an the spring supposed they would;
for within the past few weeks the
wheat has "come to the front" in
wonderfully fine shape, and the yield
will be millions Of bushels ahead Of
what it was expected few weeks ago
it would be.
For time it was thought that the
crop would be practically failure.
So positive we're many farmers Of this
tina: they plowed up their fields for
the purpose of putting the ground in
corn. Now that the time has come to
run the machines into the fields many
of them arc bitterly regretting their
action. as it is being daily demon STRAIT
ed that fields that were no worse than
those that were plowed up are going
to yield good crop.
During wheat harvest Old Mrs. Kan
sas IS buster than woman during her
spring housekeeping. When wheat
is ripe it must be handled quickly and
the work Of putting the immense
amount of grain in the stack is the
work of a very few weeks. There
ism t month in the winter, unless it
be particularly severe one, when
separators are not at work on the
grain that was cut during the latter
part of June and portion Of July.
1t is this crying need for "rush"
work which is responsible for the call
for harvest hands that is heard from
Kansas almost every season. The
most urgent call was sent out last sum-
mer, when the state produced it's re-
cord-breaking crop of more than 9O,-
600, 600 bushels. This year the cry
was not heard with it's usual vigor be.
cause of the slump in the yield, al
though there will be quite respect
able number Of outside laborers in the
harvest fields; just how many thous-
and it is impossible to tell at present.
Some who claim to know say tho state
wi!l employ between 10, ,0G0 and &c, GGG
from the outside.
During the season of the wheat har-
vest Kansas is just about the poorest
place on earth for the man with con-
stitutional aversion to work There is
work in the field always for all who
will apply, and the farmers have little
patience with those who show them
selves to be too indolent to go into
the field and make a full hand.
But the man who will not work is
not the only trial for the Kansas far
mer at this stage Of the game He is
also harassed by the man who is will
ling to work, but who does not know
how to perform the tasks assigned
him, or is not physically able to do so.
A lot of farmers in Ellsworth coun-
ty had some unpleasant experience in
this line. It turned out that many of
thoae who answered the call for har-
vest hands were men who had never in
their lives worked in the field, nor even
seen wheat cut. They had heard of
the self-binder, the header and the
header barge, and their idea was that
she machines did practically ali the
work, and that it would be the great
est kind Of picnic to follow harvest
at 50, $3.50 or 50 day. The result
was that at the close of the second OF
third day many of the picnic hunters
found themselves completely tagged
out, with neither the ability nor the
ambition TO continue the work. This
brought trouble and disappointment
to the farmers, as it placed them under
the necessity of looking for competent
help right at the time when they were
in most urgent need Of it and when it
was the hardest to get. AS rule,
though, most Of the men "stand up to
the rack, as the farmers put it, in
good shape, and do their work in a
satisfactory manner.
And this is not the only stumbling
| block before the farmers either. A
number Of cases have been reported, :,
after promising to work. and living off
the farmer for short time, the char.
vesters' pulled out just before actual
work commenced, leaving the man
with the wheat to hold the sack.
These men are called "before .har-
vest hands. a Rice county farmer
boarded couple of "before. harvest"
hands for four days. feeding them on
the fat of the land He also gave
them money with which to buy to-
bacco. Two days before tie machines
we're to be put in the feld they left,
and the farmer had tn huatle othar