Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1918-03-15
Is Cooperation Among Farmers
Practicable AS A Remedy For
The Shortage OF Labor?
By JOHN E. MUNcAs1ER, NoRBEcK, ND.

heads on the one hand, and the lapsine
bank account on the other. we farmers
are twisting and squirting for some remedy
for the various troubles we have, or think
we have. We, all of us, see our dollar
just cut in two, and naturally we want to
get twice as many of these cheap dollars
as we can. To do this most of u.s. instead
OF putting more attention on the usual
acreage, with more manure. more cultiva-
ton, and better seed, are attempting to
increase our output by blowing and planting
more acres with the same horse power and
the same or less man power than we have
been using. There is well-defined limit
to the efficiency of the team power as well
as to the ability of man labor. We see It
stated now and then by statistical experts
that one man and two horses can plant
and cultivate fifty to sixty acres of corn.
and an article in the american Agricul-
turist" lately makes the statement that a
man with tractor cultivator can tend one
hundred acres. Observation in this county
not over twenty-five acres. and twenty will
usually be better crop in most seasons.
We all know that small cultivation here
means small yields and no cultivation no
yield, and the man with twenty acres to
put in shock and loft has no time to hunt
rabbits, if he puts in wheat crop Up to
harvest time there is no possible way of
using cooperative labor on the crop. for
every field is ready for cultivation on the
same day and it profits nothing to run over
one field while another waits II corn is
used for silage, about three neiehbors can
save great deal of time by working to-
gether, mainly for the additional teams.
At one time thought silo could not be
filled with less than fifteen or sixteen men
and twelve or fourteen horses. The roads
which have been built in my section for
the past fifteen years have gradually de-
veloped class of day labor that will not
do farm work, and have found that can
fill 1880 silo in about 20 hours running
time with only eight or nine men and as
many horses. 1t took just as long with the
big gang, but by using binder and man.
aging to pick the man for the place the
work can be done with small one. In
course of time one man will cut all the
corn of several farms with binder and
three horses, and leave it to be set up by the
regular farm force at their leisure. The
binder will cut six to eight acres day,
and in corn that will make to 10 barrels
per acre two men will set it up and keep
up. In heavier corn they will get behind,
but as corn does not spoil or frost after
being cut, that makes little difference.
Joe Wing atone of our State Institutes
once told Of filling silos in Ohio. where the
farms are not large and the silos are all
about the same size, and one on nearly
every farm. The custom there is to form
what they call "silaee ring" They also
run "threshing rings" on the same plan,
and find them very satisfactory. A GER
tain number of farmers meet and form a
regular organization with a captain and
time keeper or treasurer as officers. They
make deal with some thresherman for
his outfit for threshing or for his engine for
silo filling, and he has to take them in turn
according to the captains orders. The
route is all laid out at the meeting and
each farmer makes ready for his turn.
Every man furnishes men or teams as
called for. and the time keeper credits him
with them at regular rates. Each mans
job is charged to him at the regular price,
and when all have finished they have a
big dinner, with the women and children
present, at one of the farms and they have
settling up Each man pays or receives
in cash the difference between the cost Of
his job and his credits in work. For in
stance, one mans job costs $40 and he has
a credit of $50 in men and teams, he pays
in $40. which goes to the man whose work
cost $40. while he furnished $50 worth
AS you all know, | know many more back
doors in this county than front ones. having
chased an old threshing outfit over large
section, from Brighton to Potomac and
from Glenmont to Goshen. In the early
part of this time worked up in the Shady
Grove neighborhood couple of summers
Our old machine feeder got US up in that
section. AS he said, Boss. you won't
make no fortune. but they feed you so good. +"
The crops were small, not over 800 bushels
anywhere, and they were all stacked and
then threshed as soon as the machine could
get there. II was entirely cooperative
work. scarcely man being hired for money.
but at Tom Jones was full gang. At
Sans one man dropped out and another
from somewhere down the road took his
place and all went merry as a marriage
bell. One thing they would not do. and
that was thresh two crops the same day.
No matter when we finished one mans
work. that was all we did that day except
move. We often finished at II A. NJ,
snapped lies to dinner time. and after eat
ing all we could went home till next day.
We got our money every day though. and
Of course worked there every summer till
machines got so thick that while we were
threshing at stack-yard in one field on a
farm another machine man came along
and offered to thresh his other field fora
half cent less bushel.
These people had the true spirit Of coop
Grafton which have seldom seen in any
other section. OF course, Farmer Sam Hill
will send over two or three men to help
Andrew Jackson thresh. while his own
work stands still. Andrew is very glad to
have them, picks out the hardest job he
can for them. and gives them something
to eat. When Sam Hill goes to thresh,
Andrew is very busy and either cannot
possibly send man or sends over an old
fellow about 80 years old or a couple Of
small boys. This kind Of cooperation is
not practicable to help labor shortage or