The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-10-17
INDIANA FARMLAND
WRITES OF FARM LIFE
Tells Why So Many Young People of
Best Minds Leave the Farm for
the City.

Washington, oct. l7--An Indiana
farmland has written a letter TO Presi-
dent Roosevelt about the work which
the Country Life Commission is carrying
on. The president has turned the letter
lover to the Country Life Commission
and the Commission has asked the farm.
/ hand TO write some more.
I Il have been a farmland just long
enough" says the presidents eorrespon.
/ dent to learn the cause Of so many
sons and daughters and well-meaning,
| reliable farmhands leaving the beautiful
| farm and country and going Ia the city.
A lack Of order and system on the farm
and too long hours for a 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
Iposterity, in the way OF intellectual de-
velopment When they get out of their
beds at $3.50 in the morning and work
from that time until or p. IN. And
no attention paid to the sanitary con
ditions Of the home and necessary con
veniences 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. T
he has worked for an kinds of farmers,
good and bad. he says and he has al |
ways had his eyes open TO detect the
causes OF their success or failure. He
has drawn his own conclusions and sets T
them forth in downright, straightfor 4
ward fashion Education pays in farm
ing he says The farmer who plans out +
his work ami carries il through in a sys.
tematic, busiuess-i ike manner, just as
the city man doos, viii be able to shorten
I he hours Of labor So many farmers
measure everything on the farm from
the standpoint Of muscle" he continues,
and are extreme In some things and
slack III others | 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 il is worth.
have not given you half of my expert
nce." The Country Life Commission
has written him that his suggestions
are so useful that they hope he viii
send more.
Compel the farmer to be a business
man. he says go into the homes Of
some % the farmers and the so.called
farmers ard ascertain how they live, and
learn Of their methods Of doing the bust
ness in which they are engaged. And I
you viii be surprised what a variety
YOU viii find, Ascertain what they read, d
and what stress they put on the litera ]
rurc that comes into their homes tif
any comes bearing on the business they {
7re engaged in See what per cent, {
study their business. >
Give me the educated farmer as a {
boss and the educated farmland as a I
land. Whcn | come in contact with a !
land or farmer that studies his business
find him advancing, and it is a pleasure t
o work for such men. S
The majority Of the farmers are t
'ight-hour men, that is, eight hours in t
he forenoon and eight in the afternoon. {
Eight or ten hours on the farm cannot t
veil be adapted in all cases but il need !
Tot be from fourteen to sixteen hours 4
t the family arise every morning at 5 c
o'clock and the wife and daughters at Il
end to the household duties, and the {
armhands and sons attend to the chores Q
nd 80 into the field at o'clock and h
work until II or 1880 and 60 to the p
eld again at and keep at it until 9 n
'clock, and 90 to the house and eat the t
upper and then do the evening chores, t
hey have done farm days work Reg &
lar hours for work. and regular hours a
or meals and regular hours for sleep. &
nd regular hours for rest and recreation, s
nth plenty Of standad papers and books. t,
the best agricultural papers b
nd books. and a full faith in God, and S
God grub is wanted. "
"The family should arise at o'clock Z