The Florida agriculturist., 1906-03-28
New York, who wrote to the Rural
New Yorker as follows:

1ne F1fSt EXDer1eDce--AS Ille
spring approaches it brings with it
that ever-perpleXing problem of where
can we get efficient farm labOrers at
wages that the ordinary farmer can
afford AS | have had considerable
experience with men from New York
City. | think it may be of interest to
the readers of The r. Ny. The first
time | sent down to an employment
bureau on Carlisle street; they wanted
81 for office fees and So to pay the
mans fare. | told them to send a man
who could speak English, and who
understood farm work. and offered
So per month and board. After about
10 days the man got here: he brought
Il letter from the office with him,
saying they had TO give him SIC per
month because he was ''such a good
worker" He was Hungarian. He
had been paralyZed on one side; one
shoulder was about was about three
inches higher than the other. and one
hand was about as good as Il stick,
and he knew as much about farm
work as Il good dog. His English was
so mixed with his own gibberish that
it was of very little use. He got here
when we were drawing out manure;
and was able to do fairly good work
with fork and shovel. He also help
ed to plant potatoes, etc. | could tell
him what to do and he would say:
''Yes. | understand. | understand, and
nod his head, but he never did under
stand at all: it was necessary to go
right with him and motion it all out
When his first month was out he eX-
planned very vOlubly in his own Ian
grage that he must go to New York
but he would come back, oh, yes, he
would come back and bring another
"Hungar'' with him, but he did not,
and | was as well pleased. One can
never know what a luxury it is, TO
understand every word that is spoken,
and to he understood in return, till one
has had to deal with a foreigner.
A Swiss Worker-The next time |
sent to the Y. NJ. G.. A.. BOwery
Branch. 153 Bowery; they run free
labor bureau | sent $3 to pay the
mans fare and they sent man who
got as far as Troy on the morning OF
July +, and he never got any farther,
so they sent another man, young
Swiss. He got here when L was reap
ing rye that was before | got bind
err. He came into the field with his
letter of Introduction. He was a nice
clean-l looking fellow, but as | looked
him over | saw he was minus a thumb.
He said he never had any. | asked
him if he could bind rye and he said,
sOh. sure | can bind" but when he
tried it he found it not so simple and
you can imagine the job | had in teach
ing him. He knew how to milk; he
used his fOrefinger in place of a
thumb. | paid him $14 per month and
he stayed till December 1. He could
speak fairly good English, but he
would get it twisted in queer shape;
for instance, if / would say: q think
it won't rain today" he would reply:
''Yes, | don't hope So" He was con-
siderably better than no man at all.
A Personal Hunt.-The next time l
wanted men the Y. NJ. G. A. did not
have any. so [ decided it would be
better to go down myself and look
them over, so after | landed in the
city | walked up through Greenwich
street and looked in at several employ
ment bureaus. In a good many places
billboard at the door informs you
that they have plenty of farm hands.
German and Polish, and if you look
i'll, man will rush out and ask you
| if you want a man? 'We give you
good man. Pollock, German, 81 each. y
| told one of them that l was looking
e., 20, de-. hn of