The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-11-17

| delivery, Telephones, experiment sta
tions, etc., animals, plants and earth
study.
In the seventh year they still con-
tinue to learn of the farmer and the
farm, and study animal life from the
standpoint of their agricultural value,
making speciality of cattle. To this
is added birds and poultry, and the
farm plants, especially clover as a
fertilizer, and also soil incubation.
The eighth year finds them study
ing the State of New York as an i'm
mense farm; making special study of
dairying, pastures, meadows, forage,
alfalfa as fodder, fruit growing, in
sect pests, and the best methods of
destroying them.
It has been found in Ontario that
this system of agricultural education
is resulting in more sons remaining
on the farm than is the case in this
country, and that the daughters stay
on the farms and marry farmers to a
greater extent than in this country.
/ have known many cases in which
the fathers not only gave no adequate
or stated remuneration to their chill
dren for valuable help, but grudged
handing out the dime or quarter or
dollar when requested to for some
trihing personal outlay. BY allow
ing sons to share in the profits of the
farms, focks and herds, a direct in
centive is given them to remain on
the farm and adopt the calling of
their fathers as their aim in life.
The home should, of course, be
made attractive to the boys during
the long winter evenings when time
is apt to hang heavily on their hands
unless amusement or occupation is
provided for them, so that they may
not be tempted to loaf around the
village "store," or, still worse, the
village tavern.
Another reason why the farmers
boy is not willing to stay on the farm,
is that the wages paid farm laborers
are, on their face, less than the wages
paid in towns and cities; yet the
money which can be saved by thrifty
man on the farm, on less wages than
are paid in towns and cities, is not
apparent, and does not appeal to him.
He merely sees that he will have
shorter hours and larger wages off
the farm than it. He takes no ac-
count of the additional daily and
weekly expenses with which he will
be confronted, in addition to those he
would have on the farm.
Now, as to the wages paid for farm
help: Those hired by the year for
general farm work are paid, in most
sections, from $28 to $32 per month,
without board, and from $40 to $22,
with board. Those engaged about
the cows and dairy on dairy farms,
are paid from $50 to $35, without
board, and from $2oto SIS per month,
with board. Of course, there are far
more employed by the year, when
dairying is the principal work on the
farm. Those who work by the day
are paid from $I.25 to $3.50 per day,
and board themselves.
Especially good men are paid 5000
per year and are provided with a
home, enough land for a garden, a
barn for a cow, and house and run
for chickens. Generally he is also
allowed the use of a horse to draw his
coal and wood. In most sections the
hours of work are from FIVE O'Clock
in the morning in the summer, and
daylight in winter, until six O'Clock
at night, with one hour out for din
ner. Those working by the year are
supposed to work from S A. M. to 6
P. NJ, and those by the day, from 7
A. M. to 6 Pm. Although these are
long and the wages seem, by COM
parison with those paid in the cities,
low, / can cite a case within my own
knowledge, which shows how much
better off financially man is work.
ing on farm. A good farm hand,
who was used to dairy work, was
working in the city for $I.5oper day,
and living in a small and poor apart
ment. He concluded to hire himself
out to a dairy farmer who paid him
5000 year, and provided him with
a house having five rooms downstairs,
a good cellar, and four rooms up
stairs barn for COW a woodshed
and chicken house and run. In ad-
dition, he had garden. His cow
was pastured at nominal cost in the
summer. He had the use of horses
to haul his coal and wood, and plough
up his garden. He was within half
mile of school and a mile and a
half of church. The first year he
saved SIS in money in the city he had
not been able to save anything at all.
For the present farmers can best
keep such help as they can secure by
feeding them well, paying them well
and working them well. They can
keep their children on their farms by
giving the boys a direct interest in
the farms, Aocks and herds, and by
compensating their daughters in kind
or cash commensurate with their earn
ing power. They should not forget
that "the laborer is worthy of his
hire" and that this applies not only
to strangers, but TO their own chill
dren.-Fa,mimg.
THE UNKNOWN.