The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-02-27
WHY WASTE HUMAN EFF0RI2
Ely j. E, Wsesouer. Service Bureau
MANAGER.

"
than perhaps any harvest that Wa
! have known. Tho cry Tor firm labor
ers from the Northwest, mcEnrhoncd
! over the entire country, lost none W
its Intensity when heard nj short
range Farmers boarded trains NJ TN"
station offering $500. $S.to per day
] and in some cases more for farm help.
Their solicitations were met Oy the
stare and dumb silence OF the passcn'
Eors
At this point enc is apt to ask
"Why." If such is the case, and there
seems to he no doubt but that II is
is the farm help problem growing
creator 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 or the
| drudecry and long hours they are re-
| Quired to work on the ordinary farm.
| II is right and proper that the farmer
/ should work Ions hours during certain
d
the crop hut 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 noces-
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 n new silo had been
erected. II was discourasing to note
that the slo had been built eight or
ten feet from the side of the horse
barn. in fact. It was 200 or 800 feet
from the place where the silage was
to be fed. viz: the cattle barn; In
other words, a large percentage of the
silage would have to be carried 200 or
300 feet during feeding time. The
energy and time expended as result
of carelessly building the silo at this
point can be placed on the loss side
of the ledger II is not infreQuentlv
the case that II 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 tn
corn crib We're properly located II
would save two.thirds to three-fourths
of this work.
Ry the proper Advancement Of farm
buildings hours of time and scores Of
miles of travel can be saved. II is
much easier and usually takes no moro
time to unlcad load Of corn or grain
In a crib or bin in the barn or hoe
house than 1t would to unload It at
a corn crib standing several hundred
feet from either
II we We're to visit a modern plant
that Is manufacturing machines for
the farm or other machinery we would
find that every casting and every part
he'd a certain route through the work
Tho holes ore bored or punched with
one machine 1t Is then handed or
the milling or planning work Is done
in other words. it passes from machine
to machine until the article is com.
pleted. II the method practiCed on
many farms were in vogue in factor
les. either the price of machines
would be higher or the factories
would 90 out of business.
Conditions and methods have
changed The farmer now has at hi
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 lieht of a
day-aborer, but from the angle of
business man. There Is, perhaps, no
occupation that requires any keener
judgment and better management
than to operate a farm successfully.
The scarcity of farm labor can be
met. in degree. by so planning oper
atoms and growing diversified crops
as to distribute the work over long
err 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 larger number OF farm
machines and more power, and follow
ing better plans, including proper
rotation Of crops, will help to solve
the labor problem.
Fodder left in the shock will lose
from % to 40 per cent of its feeding
value. besides it is bad practice to
10 hou TN % roodoI