Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-05-24
Education OF the Farm Hand.

WallaceS' Farmer is published not
for the benefit of landlords alone, nor
for the men who own their farms
alone, nor the tenant farmer alone,
not for the men folks alone, but for
young and old alike, including the
hired hand. For the hired hand may
become Il tenant, and the tenant may
become a land owner and operator,
and the land wne may become
landlord.
In this particular case we want to
have a square he~art-to-heart talk with
the farm land. What has the farm
had to sell? His time; that is the
view that some farm hands take: fell
lows like those job talked about, that
earnestly desire the shadow" that is
who watch for the time to go to dinner
or to quit. Ifaman has this shadow
watching" habit, there is not much
hope for him unless he overcomeS it.
He had probably better go to town
and work by the hour.
Other hired hands, or we prefer to
call them farm operatives, sell US not
merely their time, but their labor. In
other words, they feel that they are re-
quired to return a certain amount OF
work in exchange for their wages.
This is a higher type thar the class
tlDONC lhCilItoliCb ulit Al ''ciiS
hope for them.
Under modern conditions, however,
that labor is more valuable that has
brains with it. We once asked an in
efficient hand who had neglected some
work what he thought he sold US.
He said: "My labor" We replied
"Your labor is not of any value with
out brains, and in this case you have
not used your brains nd-have' caused
me considerable loss."' 1t is to this
class that we wish to speak particu-
larry.
These men can very greatly increase
the value of their labor by reading
agricultural papers quite as carefully
as do their employers, and they can
immensely increase IL if they car ar
range to attend short courses at any
of the agricultural colleges. 1t is only
by increasing their intelligence and
thus adding value TO their labor that
they can expect to make very rapid
advancement.
In these days, when so many farms
are going into the hands of capitalists
some of whom perhaps want to live on
their farms but have no time to look
after the details, men of this class are
particularly valuable. In years to
come there is going to be a very
great demand for men who have
not merely strength but skill, not
merely Drawn but brain, and who are
honest and trustworthy to take
charge of farms of this kind as man
ayers. There are many landlords who
not being able to handle their farms
satisfactorily through tenants, are
looking for managers: and this creates
IN opening for the very best class of
farm operatives who have brains as
well as Drawn to sell.
Another matter, In hiring u by
the year it makes q very great diff
ference as to the person to whom you
hire out. If a mar wishes to advance
the value of his services he should
always give the preference to an en-
ployer who is stock farmer. He had
better work for a stock farmer at five
dollars a month less than the wages
paid by a grain farmer, for thesreaSon
that he can thereby secure an educa-
ton that will be worth far more to
him all his life long than five dollars
a month for one, two, or even three
years.
In short, we wish the men who work
out on the farm to study how to in
crease their efficiency o for n year
alone, but for all time, for they "a
carry this increased efficiency with
them through every subsequent stage
of their advancement. 1t will be
worth money to them even after they
have had enough money to rent, and
made enough renting to farm for
themselves, and made enough farming
to retire. Some of our readers may
smile when we suggest this posi-
bility, but thousands of men in the
past have done this and thousands
will do it in the future Wallaces'
Farmer.