The Cairo bulletin., 1909-07-26
HIRED HELP ON THE FARM.
Men Engaged by the Year the Most
Satisfactory.

| Satisfactory.
Within the memory of the present
generation 1t was possible for farmers
| To hire men for six or eight months.
from the first of April. to work upon
| the farm. They we're a strong, robust
class of men who expected to rise at
. o'clock in the morning, or earlier.
| and work continuously until all the
chores were done at night. with only
| time for eating out They lived in
| the farmers family, expected to do
as much work as the farmer himself,
| and entered into all the work of the
| farm with an apparent relish and q
| degree of interest that is scarcely ever
exceled in the employed in any line
OF industry. This was partially due.
without doubt to the fact that they
were taken into such close association
with the farmer and his family that
there seemed almost mutual inter-
est in the business, says the Mirror
and Farmer There was little induce
ment for the hired man to spend mon
ey, for he seldom left the neighbor-
hood in which the farm was located,
and not one person in 10 who works
for wages, either high or low, has
as much money in the end of the sea-
son today as this faithful farm hand
could show for his seasons work.
This Of vuft 9;
exception, cannot be had now, and in
their place has come farm machinery,
the substitution OF horse power for
large proportion of the manual labor
previously employed, and the employ
ment OF men by the year instead OF
for the summer months.
The employment of men by the
year has resulted in securing a better
class Of help than could be had in any
other way. Upon large farms there
are generally men with families, who
live in houses owned and let to them
by the farmer, who furnishes them at
market prices with products OF the
farm. which materially reduces the
cash monthly payment, without dis
advantage to either party. The farm
err who only needs a man through the
summer season will find it TO hfs ad-
vantage to make some arrangement
to provide him with work through the
winter also and furnish him a house
to live in. This will enable him to
secure steady, temperate men, and,
having their families with them and
a reasonable assurance of permanent
employment. they will be contended
and as interested in the work of the
farm as II is possible for hired man
to be under any circumstances.
1t is the only possible solution OF
the farm hired help question and the
sooner farmers adopt this system the
sooner will they avoid the unpleasant
experience of getting along with in
competent and unreliable men and the
more annoying and sometimes dan
gerous practice of having them at their
family table and assocating with
their children; for, as we have al
ready said, ii is the rare exception
when the moral and temperate single
man can be employed upon the farm
by the month as could once be done.
The changed methods of farming
have made it much easier to arrange
work for the entire year than former
ly. and instead of "denning up" for
the winter as farmers were some
times said y do. 1t is now about the
busiest season of the year, under the
system practiced on many farms.
The old-fashioned practice OF clear
ing out the barn cellars and barnyards
only spring and fall has been changed
and the progressive farmer clears his
barn cellar and manure sheds at least
once a week during the winter season,
thus relieving the pressure of work
in the spring The teams that are
needed during the summer must be
kept at work in hauling wood, muck
ice. lumber or fertilizers, and this fur
nishes work for the men. 1t Is not
expected that much profit will come
from this outside winter business, but
If a pair of horses and man can be
made to pay for the feed of the horses
and the wages of the man during the
winter months 1t will enable the farm
err to secure his summer work per-
formed at a reasonable price.
We are aware that there are many
farmers who do not have sufficient
business to make it profitable to keep
even one team and man constantly at
work during the summer and perhaps
cannot extend their farming opera
tons profitably, and for these, prob
ably there is no better way than to
employ help by the day; but those
who are employing sufficient help to
make it practicable will find that bet
ter men can be secured, who will take
more interest in the work and cause
the farmers family less annoyance,
and the hired man greater comfort
and contCntment, by providing cheap.
homes for the men and
their families; and. in fact, this is
about the only way that satisfactory