Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-16
Weekly Bureau Of In
formation for All Who
TIL the Soil or Are In
tcrcste9 IN Making Homes
LIFE NOT ALL ROSES
TO VIRGINIA FARMERS
One Of Them Replies to MIR. Cowles,
and Tells What Conditions
Really Are.

To the Editor OF the Times Dispatch:
Sir.-In n recent issue OF The Times
Dispatch there was an article written
by Mr.. Cowles. j am one of those
farmers referred to who puts in about
fifteen hours as days work. ! +
rather ashamed to acknowledge that
don't know what business Mr..
Cowlcs follows. but any one would in
fer from his writing that he is
farmer, an expert farmer and an ahso-
lutte authority on farming; that he
owns one or more of all hands of i'm
proved farming implements and ma
chinery and that he only puts in eight
hou. for day and pays his labor
something like SO per day, and through
his knowledge and intelligent manage
ment he is making farming paying
business. Now. Mr. Cowlcs. we farm
crs know that we ace a little thick
headed. but we can't help that. and il
were man of your knowledge l
would not worry about the way the
farmers are managing their farm work.
but If you can. help from worrying
sover the bad situation that the aver
age farmer is in and desire To better
his condition. just invite a few of them
ITO your farm occasionally and let them
, SEQ how the work is being done in
successful manner. Then, further TO
impress them show them your last
i fine balance you have in your favor
/ ain sure that this will have bene-
fetal effect and will be the best course
for you to pursue. for most of these
farmers have been dealt with in such
j a manner that 1t is difficult matter
to get them to believe all that is told
them. In referring to the farmers
claiming we can't get labor. Mr..
Cowles makes the impression that the
claim is both false and ridiculous.
> When the farmer says Il can't get la
bor." he doesn't mean that there are
less men who can be employed to-day
than there were years ago. When the
farmer says Il can't get labor" he
means II l employ labor 1 must pay
the price that the factories, mills. and
railroads pay and this is what MIR.
"Cowles tries to make the impression
that the farmer should do. The farmer
would pay as much for labor as the
factories are paying and work them
the same number of hours. the farms
would have all the labor needed but
under present conditions II is impos-
sible for the farmer to pay such prices
Labor employed at such prices on
the farm will not produce enough to
pay itself at the prices at which farm
produce Is now selling. and so many
people are raising such n howl about
1t being high. Just so long as the
farmer can't employ labor and pay as
much as the factories, without loss he
is not receiving enough for his pro-
duce, no matter how high it may be
Selling. There are thousands of city
people no think the farmer has very
little to buy. They seem to think he
lives in the country and makes all ha
needs and more besides. or rather it
just grows without any effort or cost
to the farmer and all he has to do is
just go out and gather it in as he
wants 1t. Such ideas are far from be-
Ing correct. The farmer has n great
deal to buy and when his produce sells
lat high price all he has to buy sells
higher The selling and buying prices
are a great way out of proportion and
as long as such conditions exist there
VIII be a decrease in the production
Of the farms. Unless there Is change
brought about in the present condi-
tions or some step taken to protect
the farmer the time will soon come
when somebody will go hungry. The
farmer has been urged from all sides
TO make every effort. as n patriotic
.citizen. to increase his crop of corn
He has responded TO the cry all right
by increasing his crop about % per
gent and now he finds that he has cut
or a little more than he can chew
Grass is growing rapidly in a great
portion of the corn and it's going to
make good many of the farmers
SICK before they get through working
the grass out and they will have some
thing don't know what the docto":
will call it. +'possibly muscular indi-
s., G. c. sTARKE.
Elmont. Va