The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1908-10-21

measure everything on the farm from
the standpoint of muscle" he con-
tinues, "and are extreme in some
things and slack in others. I decided
several years ago that life is too
short to work for Peter Tumbledown
farmers"
Now, Mr.. President" he writes,
you can take this for what it is
worth. / have not given you half Of
my experience" The country life
commission has written him that his
suggestions are SO useful that they
hope he will send more.
Compel the farmer to be BUSH
ness man." he says. GO into the
homes of some of the farmers and
the so-called farmers and ascertain
how they live, and learn of their
methods of doing the business in
which they are engaged. And you
will be surprised what a variety you
will find. Ascertain what they read,
and what stress they put on the liter
ature that comes into their homes (if
any comes) bearing on the business
they are engaged in. See what per
cent study their business.
"Give me the educated farmer as
boss and the educated farmland as
hand. When l come in contact
with a hand or farmer that studies
his business find him advancing,
and it is a pleasure to work for such
men.
"The majority of the farmers are
eight-hour men, that is, eight hours
in the forenoon and eight in the aft
ernoon. Eight or ten hours on the
farm cannot well be adapted in all
cases, but it need not be from four
teen to sixteen hours. If the family
arise every morning at O'Clock and
the wife and daughters attend to the
household duties, and the farmhands
ard sons attend to the chores and go
to the field at O'Clock and work un-
til IL or 111:30 and go to the geld
again at l and keep at it until G
the supper and then do the evening
chores, they have done farm days
work. Regular hours for work, and
regular hours for meals, and regular
hours for sleep, and regular hours
for rest and recreation, with plenty
OF standard papers and books, includ-
ing the best agricultural papers and
books. and full faith in God, and
good grub is wanted.
THE family should rise at 5
o'clock on Sunday morning as we'll
as on week days, and do the neces-
sary Sunday morning chores, and
then go to church and show the bust
ness man in the city that Sunday on
the farm does not consist in changing
the stock from one field to another.
or sailing it, or unloading load #
! ray that was brought in OIL Saturday
evening.
Coming to the meals at the meal
hour makes it easy Oh the wife, so
She can arrange her household duties
in order, as can also the husband his
farm work.
Men of worth and standing in the
shop and city tell me that if order
and system were used on the farm
they would 90 back to the farm. If
the farmer wants to keep his sons
and daughters on the farm he must
not lengthen the hours for days
work at both ends Limit the hours
of work on the farm to twelve or
thirteen with pay for overtime, and
freedom to the hired man on Sun
day"
The country life commission Wei
comes letters like this. because as
Prof. l.. H. Bailey, chairman OF the
commission, recently pointed out
one Of the objects of the investiga-
tons of the commission will be 10
obtain, as fully as possible, the opin-
ions of both farmers and Of their
hands concerning the question Of
farm labor and the condition of
hired help. It is likely that when the
country life commission reaches In
diana in the tour of the country
which it will make early next month
it will endeavor to get into personal
touch with this letter writer.