The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-05-23

at that operation as had their neighbors
but they were delayed by one cause or
another, such as lack of labor or teams,
or were handling larger acreage than
their equipment would allow them to
handle satisfactorily. In this same
community were three men who COM
pleted all their planting operations be-
fore the goth of May, and five others
who completed all their work by the
25th of May. 1t is true that these men
who finished their planting work early
had plenty of other farm work, but
none of such great Importance as the
planting of corn, on which some of
their neighbors were engaged for two
weeks after they had finished. If all
these men had considered that corn
planting was national necessity and
had pooled their efforts all of the corn
on all the farms could have been plant
ed within the most favorable time.
Again, it was found that some of
these same men had their corn land
prepared much earlier than Others and
that several DAYS elapsed between
preparation and planting during which
their men and teams could have been
utilized to excellent advantage by the
neighbors who were less fortunate in
having the preparation for planting
fully made.
When it comes to harvesting, the
pooling of community farm interests is
even more necessary and beneficial. be-
cause on such work the greater effici-
ency gained through larger crews and
larger machines is a most important
factor. For instance, in neighborhood
there may be one farm having $50 acres
of hay to harvest, surrounded by
three farms having % to 30 acres each.
The present custom is for each man to
do his own work. The small farmer
has two horses and moving machine.
He may do his haying with the aid of
Ollc lIldll VI Ills WIG anu Cllllul DuN
it takes him the larger part of the hay
ing season to accomplish this work.
The same is true of the other small
farmers. The farmer with the large
haying has to hire extra laborers from
outside sources and these. with his
large equipment, do his haying in about
the same time as it takes the small
farmer, or in a period of from two or
three weeks.
By pooling their interests the three
J small farmers could assist one another
and do the haying on each farm in two
or three days by reason of more equip.
, ment, more teams and more labor, to-
gether with the greater efficiency from
larger crews in having operations. In
the same way this group Of small
farmers, having been able to complete
their harvest in a much shorter period,
would be available to assist the farmer
with the large haying, either by hiring
: to him or by an interchange of work.
Such arrangement would permit all OF
the harvest work on these four farms
to be carried out without hiring ad-
dtional labor which has been the usua
custom in great many instances.
: I These are only few examples OF
how community effort on the part OF
| farmers can materially increase the
efficiency of their available resources.
, Heretofore this universal interchange
/ of labor on farms has not been common.
1t has been confined to only few OPP
erations such as threshing and silo fill
: ing. 1t is true that there are disad.
vantages connected with this inter.
change of labor in that the crops or
one farm may have to be cut a little toe
: early or the harvest may be delayed a
little on another. Again, it is difficult
r to find a number of men who are of one
: opinion concerning just how the work
) should be carried out on any particular
farm. However, in this great crisis
? the interest of the individual are sec
ondary and those of the nation, Of
2 which each community is a part, are Of
! first consideration.
Wherever such plan as that sug
gested can be used it will be particu
: larry advantageous at this time in view
, of the shortage of workers and scarcity
a and high prices of equipment. In short
A the plan is nothing more than the use
, of all men, teams and machinery with
in given community so as to gair
S maxium efficiency on the absolute es
, sential operations during the critica
+ periods, which at most are of short
duration.
E. H. THOMSON,
. Dept of Agriculture,
Y Washington, D. c