The Yale expositor., 1913-01-16
WHY WASTE HUMAN EFFORT?
BY J. z. Wagsoner, Service Bureau
Manager.

The harvest which has just passed
witnessed greater lack Of farm help
than perhaps any harvest that we
have known. The cry for farm labor
ers from the Northwest, megaphoned
over the entire country, lost none OF
it's intensity when heard at short
range. Farmers boarded trains at the
station Offering $500. $3.50 per day
and in some cases more for farm help.
Their solicitations were met by the
stare and dumb silence of the passen-
gers.
At this point one is apt to ask
"why," if such is the case, and there
seems to be no doubt but that it is
is the farm help problem growing
greater year after year. There are
many reasons for this-some are lured
away from the farm by the attrac-
lions of the city, while others turn
their backs to the farm because Of the
drudgery and long hours they are re-
CURED to work on the ordinary farm.
1t is right and proper that the farmer
should work long hours during certain
seasons of the year in order to save
the crop, but we find the largest per-
centage do not stop at this point, but
pride themselves In early rising, say
ing nothing, however, Of the work
actually accomplished. We do not
wish to discountenance early rising
but that in itself will not be produc-
tive of results. We often hear the old
adage. "the early bird catches the
worm"-this success was not neces-
sarily due to early rising but to know
ing where to go; in other words, the
farmer should combine with early
rising-early and careful planning.
Just recently the writer was on an
Iowa farm where a new silo had been
erected 1t was discouraging to note
that the silo had been built eight or
ten feet from the side of the horse
barn, in fact, it was 200 or 300 feet
from the place where the silage was
to be fed, viz: the cattle barn; In
other words, large percentage OF the
silage would have to be carried 200 or
300 feet during feeding time. The
energy and time expended as a result
Of carelessly building the silo at this
point can be placed on the "loss" side
Of the ledger It is not infrequently
the case that it takes fifteen or twenty
minutes to carry the corn for feeding
the horses, and even longer to feed
the hogs and other animals, but II the
corn crib were properly located it
would save two-thirds to three-fourths
Of this work.
BY the proper arrangement Of farm
buildings hours of time and scores Of
miles of travel can be saved. It Is
much easier and usually takes no more
time to unload load OF corn or grain
in a crib or bin in the barn or hog
house than it would to unload It at
a corn crib standing several hundred
feet from either
II we were to visit a modern plant
that is manufacturing machines for
the farm or other machinery we would
find that every casting and every part
had certain route through the works.
The holes are bored or punched with
one machine, it is then handed or
delivered to the next machine where
the milling or planning work is done;
in other words, 1t passes from machine
to machine until the article is COM
pleted. If the method practiced on
many farms were in vogue In factor
les, either the price OF machines
would be higher or the factories
would go out Of business.
Conditions and methods have
changed. The farmer now has at his
disposal farm equipment which will
enable him to reap greater profits
from the area farmed IL he spends
part of his time planning the various
operations than If the old methods
were followed. He should no longer
view his occupation in the light OF
day-laborer, but from the angle of a
business man. There Is, perhaps, no
occupation that requires any keener
Judgment and better management
than to operate farm successfully.
The scarcity of farm labor can be
met, in a degree, by so planning oper-
atoms and growing diversified crops
as to distribute the work over long
er period. There is no question but that
the farmers in the northwest in the
wheat sections and the cotton farmers
of the south will soon realize the I'm
portance and necessity, not only from
the standpoint of its effect on the soil,
but from the viewpoint of the laborer,
to practice better and more complete
rotations.
Data collected by the government
shows that the yearly earnings per
farm hand is almost directly proper
tional to the farm equipment used.
The using of a larger number OF farm
machines and more power, and follow
ing better plans, including a proper
rotation Of crops, will help to solve
the labor problem.
Fodder left in the shock will lose
from 25 to 40 per cent of It's feeding
value, besides it is bad practice to