Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1903-07-01
STRIKER ON A FARM.
L Mill Hands Experience in the
Country Makes Him Satisfied
with Rural Life.

Great change" said he, measuring |
out the tempting fruit to men, women |
md children at the curb. His quart |
measure never contained one cherry |
more than quart. From tie hot mill
20 the hot farm is a great change, but
. like it,
you don't give heaping full measure
ike other farmers" said an elderly
woman who had bought two quarts.
No, ma am said the striker. 81
give you just quart each measure.
Farmers, as a general thing, give away
their heads. They sell cherries at ten
cents quart and try to heap on half
pint extra with each quart. They sell
potatoes at so much bushel and put
j quarter of peck extra measure on
OPP. That's what's running American
farmers to-day. They're too liberal.
1--we been on the farm three weeks
now, ever since the mill went on strike,
md I've seen enough to convince me
hat farmers are too good for their
own good. They get the little end of
t every time.
Yes, ma am, two quarts for 20 cents.
No. not two quarts for Is cents. The
price is ten cents quart"
When the woman departed with her
purchase the striker during another
ull went on:
"As / was saying, since I'm out on
The farm l see that farmers give away
100 much. Why. these cherries I'm
selling at ten cents a quart gives you
IN object lesson.
Il picked a tub full. A huckster
same along and offered four cents a
quart. The farmer looked at the cher
ries and then at me. He was about to
let the lot go when ] said / could hitch
up Billy in the old wagon and drive
20 town and get ten cents quart.
1.-The huckster gave me the ha! ha!
and drove off. l came to town and
here [ am. These cherries are going
like hot cakes.
"Of course, Like farming. I don't
think I'll ever go into the mill again.
The more | see of country life the
more | like it. / am looking out that
nobody does the man I'm working for
The other day there was butcher
came to the farm and offered five dol
lars for nice young calf. / told the
farmer that calf was worth more. He
said that was all the butchers paid last
year and the year before. l had q
newspaper in my old coat of the day
before. got ii out, looked at the
market quotations, and bet you1
sweet life that butcher paid $3.50
You see, I'm making money for that
farmer.
IF can bring nice fresh eggs tt
town and get 20 cents dozen fo1
EN-. what's the use of selling then
to huckster for II cents dozen
You see. many farmers amt got tim,
to catch on to the market prices
There's where | come in.
I'm up every morning at o'cloc1
ioing something. | boss around al
hour before breakfast Last yea
my farmer only had up three scare
crows. This year we have 21. | pu
them up
II argued that if three scarecrOw
save 50 much corn, p will save sever
Tines as much. l got the old clothe
up in the garnet, SO l broke out tn
rags and cleared up the place to pre-
vent moths.
Farm life agrees with me. l er
JOY breakfast. Good fresh radishe
out of the ground; bit of bacoI
coffee and cream, good bread an
butter, and there you are"
Here the striker sold his last qual
of cherries and answered the querie
of number of women, to the effeC
that he'd be at the same place tn
day after tomorrow with a fres
lot of cherries.
Now" he went on, I'm going
drive right back to the farm for din
ner We have boiled cabbage, ne
potatoes and a nice piece of fat bee
that l took along out yesterday. FC
supper? Well, we have fried pot;
toes with onions, bread and COTE
and a piece of cake of some kind.
go to bed? o, we sit around tt
big porch after the work is don
and turn in about o'clock. l slee
under the roof and have plenty
fresh air. Yes, help at the haydn
and will take a hand at the whea
but my best hold is economizing {
the farm, and preventing people fro
doing the farmer. He hain't got h
leg pulled since I'm with him, NJ
he won't if I'm around.
mo, I will never go into the m
again. I'm getting fat on my ne
Job, and no farm work is half
hard as roasting heat in the mi
lay or night turn