Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-08-15
ABOUT FARMERS

Thayer's Reasons for Large Receipts at
the Stock Yards How Farmers
Worked in the Old Days - How
"chansns Work" Brings Out Char
acter.
It Is only necessary to watch the re-
ceipts of cattle and hogs at the various
many farmers sell their stuff when 1t
is ready, and not when the price is
right. With a strike on between the
butchers and their employers. the re-
ceipts are about the same as when
conditions We're normal.
There was time, perhaps, before
the establishing of rural telephones and
rural mail routes, when this condition
could be looked upon and excused, but
now, with a man but few moments
from the markets. there is no excuse
for the continuous heavy shipments.
meet many farmers who do not take a
daily paper at all, and a larger num-
Der who only take one a few months in
the winter time. 1t may be, and prob
ably is this ciass which is now flood
ing the markets, men who are too busy
to read paper and cont know there
is a strike on. Then there Is another
class of feeders which have fed up all
their corn and won't buy more. that
would rather take loss than buy few
al orrvyt a
RECEIVERS, but as long as the producer
takes the loss and not the consumer.
/ suppose we should smile instead Of
complaining.
The exceptional fine weather so far
this summer has put farmers far
enough along with their work. so that
old settlers picnics. base ball games
and circuses are demanding a good
share OF their time, and the crops are
not suffering in consequence. 1t is
about this time of yes.r when you be-
gin to hear stories, by the old settlers,
as to how they used to do their work.
and the circumstances connected
Herewith. In talking with one OF these
retired farmers, he recited tale about
as follows: Yes, when I first came
to this country, we had. that is, myself
and two brothers, the only binder
around here, and we put In about eighty
acres OF wheat each, or 240 altogether
We had only the one machine and 1t
cost $3.50. When the grain was ready
to cut, we all did our work together.
One summer we run the machine seven
ty-two hours without stopping, except
to feed the teams and ourselves. At
night one would go ahead with Ian
tern and lead the team. We used TO
work in those days" And so 1t goes.
1t viii only be snort time until corn
picking, then more stories of long hours
and big days husking will be in order.
No one living In town doubts for a
minute that the farmer works hard,
and neither do they doubt that they like
to tell 1t. The country does not con-
tain many lazy men, SO the stories Ut
hard work must be believed. The reas-
on for the absence of lazy farmers is
accounted for the reason that they
starye out. and come to town where
life is seasier.
This is the time of year, during the
threshing season, when farmers
Change work. a time Of year which
brings out all the good that is in them,
as well as the meanness. There is
nothing like the working around to get
at a mans standing in the community
where he lives. Here are two cases
which show what I mean. John Doe
was helping Smith thresh; he put N
sixteen hours, and when 1t came
Smiths turn to help Doe he put In
eighteen hours. Smith was arguing
with Doe for two hours pay at 10 cents
an hour as came along. 1t goes with
out saying that Smith Is not popular
with his neighbors. Here is another
case: Brown has in thirty acres of oats
and just as they are ready to cut, he is
taken sick. Immediately the neighbors
form q party over the telephone. and
before twenty-four hours have passed
Browns thirty acres are cut and in the
shock, many men going and leaving
their own work stand. The man who
would quarrel about couple or extra
hours on exchanging work, would have
a rood excuse when 1t came time to
help Brown out. There are good
MANY such cases at Browns, and only
| n few are ever known outside Of the
| nsighborhood where they happen. Let
| IL be said to the credit of the farmers
| that there are only few men In Iowa
| left who are like Smith. They have
| moved on to the new country, where
the threshers carry all their own men
and where they don't need to help
| round"
GEO. r. THAYER.