Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1915-08-11
WHY WASTE HUMAN EFFoRr7
p :! E. Wassoaer, Service Bureau
Manager.


witnessed a 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
its intensity when heard at short
range. Farmers boarded trains ct 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-
tons Of the city, while others turn
their backs to the farm because of the
drudgery and long hours they are re-
quired to work on the ordinary farm
II 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 dc 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 circumference 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 diseouraging to note
that the silo had been built eight or
ten feet from the side of the horse
barn, in fact. il was 200 or SOC feet
from the place where the silaee was
to be fed. viz: the cattle barn: in
other words, large percentage Of the
silage would have to be carried 200 or
800 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 If 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. II is
much easier and usually takes no more
time 70 unload load of corn or grain
in a crib or bin in the barn or hog
house than il would to unload II 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 OF 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. II is then handed or
delivered to the next machine where
the milling or planning work is done;
in other words, il passes from machine
to machine until the article is COM
pleted. If the method practiced on
many farms we're 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 al his
disposal farm equipment which will
enable him TO reap greater profits
from the. area farmed II 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 a
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 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
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,
70 practice better and more complete
rotat ions.
Data collected by the government
show. that the yearly earnings per
farm rand is almost directly proper
tional to the farm equipment used.
The using of d larger number Of farm
machines and more power, and follow
ing better plans. including a proper
rotation of crops, win help to solve
the labor problem.