Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-04-01

Do nothing today which can be
put off until tomorrow.
That is an apparent perversion of
the ancient and excellent proverb,
and most people may be inclined to
look upon it as pernicious-but,
properly interpreted, it is a sound
principle in farm management and
one that great many farmers will
particularly need to apply in the
face of the shortage of labor with
which this years crops must be made.
1t applies to tasks that interfere
with work in the fields at times when
field work can be done. 1t does not
mean procrastination 1t means get
ting the indirectly productive work
! done in advance, if possible, but if
it can't be done in advance put it
off till the rush work in the fields
is out of the way. 1t is one of
the important factors, say farm-man-
agement specialists of the United
States department of agriculture, in
full utilization of farm labor.
Great Need This Year
And full utilization is likely to be
more important this year than it has
| ever been before. Reports coming to
the department of agriculture from
all sections of the country are to the
| effect that farm laborers and tenants
are caught by the lure of high wages
and are leaving the farms for the
| cities. A great many farmers, APP
parent1y, will be forced to carry on
their operations this year with less
| help than they have ever had be-
FORE Unless such labor as is left
| on the farm is utilized to the best
possible advantage, there is danger
Of a serious curtailment of produc-
ton.
Farm Encouragement specialists say,
however, that a great deal can be
accomplished toward helping produc-
ton by getting the most out of the
labor available. They lay down a
few simple rules that they believe
will help toward attaining this re-
suit.
The best farmer, they say, is the
one who gets the other work out OF
the way and keeps the teams moving
whenever the land is in condition
for field work. The amounts of
products that a farmer can grow
depends on getting the field work
done when the weather will permit
it. Nothing except necessary work
like feeding and milking should be
permitted to take men from the
fields, and it should be planned where
possible to get these things done and
still keep the horses working ten
hours a day.
Plan no wet-land work, they say,
when there is work in the fields that
can be done. By wet-land work is
meant such things as cutting weeds
and brush in the fence rows, repair
ing. the fences, repairing buildings
and a great many other necessary
things-but things that can be done
just as we'll when the ground is too
wet to .olow.
Leave no rainy-day work, another
/ rule says, to be done when 1t is not
| raining, for profits are limited by
| the amount Of outdoor work that
gets done. Rainy-day work is nee
essary work and If it is not done on
rainy days it will have to be done
| later on fair days and will interfere
with field work It includes things
| that can be done. under shelter, such
as Smelling seed corn, mending the
harness and repairing tools.
Jot down in a note book, the spe-
! cialists advise, the things that will
need attention the next rainy day.
This will enable you to plan your
work quickly and when you get up
| some morning and find the rain pour
| ing down. Do first the jobs that are
in danger Of getting in the way OF
the next dry weather work.
Put in long days in rush seasons
with the assurance that you can ease
down on rainy days or when the rush
| is over. And then comes that first
rule, do nothing today which can
as we'll be put off. till tomorrow.
| There are a great many things that
can not be put off till tomorrow. If
| sowing oats is delayed until the
warm, dry days Of late spring, there
! will be a light harvest. If the corn
| is not cultivated even for one week
after it is old enough to cultivate,
| the fields will be weedy and the crops
| poor. If the dairy cows are neglect
| ed, there will soon be no milk. This
| class of tasks, therefore, demands
| immediate attention. Put off the
! other things to more or less remote