Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-11-25
LIFE ON THE FARM.
Indiana Farm Hand Writes Interesting
Letter to President Conc ,rnins Country
Life.

/
sion is carrying on The President has
turned the letter over to the Country
Life Commission, and the Commission
has asked the farm hand to write some
more
81 have been farm hand Just long
enough, says the Presidents corre-
spondent, ITO learn the cause of So
many sons and daughters and we'll
meaning, reliable farm hands leaving
the beautiful farm and country and
going to the city A lack of order and
system on the farm and too long hours
| for day is what is driving the best
minds from the farm to the city and
shop. What can we expect of hand
or the farmers wife and her posterity
in the way of intellectual development
when they get out of their beds at 3 80
in the morning and work from that time
until s or p m? And no attention
paid to the sanitary conditions of the
home, and necessary conveniences on
the farm for doing the farm work with
the least labor and time"
This man has given the Country Life
Commission some very interesting first
hand information about rural conditions
and recommendations based on long
experience in farm work and farm life.
He has worked for all kinds of farmers,
good and bad, he says, and he has al
ways had his eyes open to dectect the
causes of their success or failure. He
has drawn his own conclusions and sets
them forth in downright straight-fo
ward fashion Education pays in farm
ing, he says. The farmer who plans out
his work and carries it through in a
systematic business-like manner, just as
the city man does, will be able to shorten
the hours of labor So many farmers
measure everything on the farm from
the standpoint of muscle, and are ex-
treme in some things and slack in
others. | decided several years ago that
life is too short to work for Peter
Tur.aledown farmers.
Now, Mr. President, you can take this
for what it is worth. | have not given
you half of my experience. Compel the
farmer to be business man. 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 variety you will find. Ascertain
what they read, and what stress they
put on the literature 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 a
boss and the educated farm hand as a
hand When | come in contact with
hand or farmer that studies his business
find him advancing and it is 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 afternoon.
Eight or ten hours on the farm cannot
well be adapted in all cases. but it need
not be from fourteen to sixteen hours.
If the family arise every morning at 5
o'clock and the wife and daughters
attend to the household duties. and the
farm hands and sons attend to the
chores and go to the field at 7, work un-
til / or II 80 and go to the field again
at and keep at it until o'clock. and go
, to the house and eat the supper, and
then do the evening chores. they have
done a 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,
including the best agricultural papers
AM books, and full faith in God and
good grub is wanted.
The family should rise at 5 O'Clock
on Sunday morning as well as on week
days. and do the necessary Sunday
morning chores, and then go to church
and show the business man in the city
that Sunday on the farm does not con-
sist in changing the stock from one field
to another, or sailing it, or unloading
load of hay that was brought i'll on
Saturday evening
Coming to the meals at the meal hour
makes it easy on 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 go 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 af work on
the farm 10 twelve or thirteen with pay
for overtime, and freedom to the hired
man on Sunday.