The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-07-14
FARM LIFE AND WORK.

The greatest objection to farm life
has always been the long hours.
Within a few years change has
been gradually making it's way into
the methods of farmers and garden
ers. In many places it is almost I'M
possible to get help except by the day
and they are seldom willing to work
more than ten hours per day. A reg
ular contributor to Farm and F1reslde
has received a letter which he quotes
from and comments on as follows:
A farmer DO Indiana writes that
he has read many of my articles re-
ferring to farm life as the best and
most independent of all, and that me
can't see it in that light" He says
that now spring has opened he has
to get up at four o'clock every morn
ing, and work at chores about an
hour before breakfast; then, after
swallowing that, he has to work all
day; he never gets supper before
eight or nine at night, and gets to
bed about ten. He says this is reg
ulur" at their house. He says he has
cousin about his age who works In
factory in town, and he does not
have to begin work in the morning
until eight o'clock, and quits at five.
All the rest of the twenty-tour hours
Is his own to have "a good time in
and sleep. l am aware that there are
thousands of farm homes wneie just
such system as he describes Is
regular" and, as he says, the folks
are not getting rich either. l have
never yet seen 1t necessary to begin
before day and continue until late In
the night on any farm except for two
or three days in harvesting or haying
time. Five o'clock is quite early
enough for any farmer to rise, and if
he begins active work in the field by
half-past six, and continue steadily
at it until eleven or half-past, he has
done good half-day's work; then out
again at one, and continue until half
past five or six, is long enough for
both men and horses. This is the
practice of some of the best farmers
know-men who are making money,
not by long hours Of labor, but by
skillful farming The day of the ten
inch pillow, one-norse cultivator, grain
cradle and fail is past and the long
hours of drudgery that were neces-
sary when they were used are no lon
ger called for. l do not blame far
mer lad for wanting to shake off the
shackles that bind him to such life.
The most successful farmer know
are not drudges, but workers. They
are not striving to see how many
hours they can work but how much
effective work they can do in the few
est hours. Taking the season
through horse can do more work in
eight or nine hours day than he
can in twelve or fourteen, and at the
horse instead of a WORKOUT plug.
Doing the feeding, watering and other
chores on the farm is work than can
be done either right or wrong. When
a man is fresh and strong he will do
them right, and see that every animal
has a full supply and is made COM
Portable. When he is worn out by
hard and continuous work he is GER
tain to slight some of the chores, and
he Is certain to lose by it. A good
farmer once said to me that he liked
to have plenty of time for his chores.
IF take time to do my feeding care
fully, and note the effect on each ami
NAL, / can feed to much better adj
vantage than if the job is rushed
through with scarcely a glance at the
stock. One cannot turn this job over
to the hired man or small boy with
any assn. ance that it will be done
right. / prefer to do it myself. and
then l know 1t is done right. When
I get into the field l keep going stead
lily until quitting time. l find that 1t
pays better to keep moving, steadily
In the field than to rush along an
hour or two and then sit down fifteen
minutes to rest the horses" A great
many farmers have learned that they
will have to farm without any assist
ance from hired men. Good farm.
hands have become so scarce, and
poor ones are so worthless, that ii
has become necessary to make calcu
lations without considering them at
all. Naturally this will tend to re-
duce the acreage of crops that must
be cultivated. Farmers will not nee.
essarily be obliged to labor harder
or longer hours, but they will be com
PEELED to use the best labor-saving
implements. AS a farmer said to me
few days ago, with the riding
piows, cultivators and adjustable har,
rows that we have now l can do near
ly three times the amount of work
could thirty-five years ago. and do II
much better and with less fatigue
BUYING SEEDS.
The great annual seeding time is
almost around again; several points
4-1V-