Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 December 1912 — WHY WASTE HUMAN EFFORT? [ARTICLE]

WHY WASTE HUMAN EFFORT?

By J. E. Waggoner,

Service Bureau

Manager.

The harvest which has just passed witnessed a greater lack of farm help than perhaps any harvest that we have known. The cry for farm laborers from the Northwest, megaphoned over the entire country, lost none of its intensity when heard at short range. Farmers boarded trains at the station offering $3,00, $3.50 per day and in some cases more for farm help. Their solicitations were met by the stare and dumb silence of the passengers. 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 attractions of the city, while others turn their backs to the farm because of the drudgery and long hours they are required to work on the ordinary farm. It is right and proper that the farmer should w6rk long hours during certain seasons of the year in order to Bave the crop, but we find the largest percentage do not stop at this point, but pride themselves in early rising, saying nothing, however, of the work actually accomplished. We do not wish to discountenance early rising, but that in itself will not be productive of results. We often hear the old adage, “the early bird catches the worm”—this success was not necessarily due to early rising but to knowing where to go; in other words, the farmer should combine with early rising—early and careful planning. Just recently the writer was on an lowa farm where a new silo had been erected. It was discouraging to note that the silo had been built eight or ten feet from the side of the horse barn, in fact, it was 200 or 300 feet from the place where the silage was to be fed, viz: the cattle barn; in other words, a large percentage of the silage would have to be carried 200 or 300 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 tw r o-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. It is much easier and usually takes no more time to unload a load of corn or grain In a crib or bin in the barn or hog house than it would to unload it at a corn crib standing several hundred feet from either. If we were to visit a modern plant that is manufacturing machines for the farm or other machinery we would find that every casting and every part had a certain route through the works. The holes are bored or punched with one machine, it is then handed or delivered to the next machine where the milling or planing work is done; in other words, it passes from machine to machine until the article is completed. If the method practiced on many farms were in vogue in factories, either the price of machines W'ould be higher or the factories would go out of business. Conditions and methods have changed. The farmer now 7 has at his disposal farm equipment which will enable him to reap greater profits from the area farmed if 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 a degree, by so planning operations and growing diversified crops as to distribute the work over a longer 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 importance and necessity, not only from the standpoint of its effect on the soil, but from the viewpoint of the laborer, to practice better and more complete rotations. - Data collected by the government shows that the yearly earnings per farm hand Is almost directly proportional to the farm equipment used The using of a larger number of farm machines and more power, and following better plans, including a proper rotation of crops, will help to solve the labor problem.

Fodder left in the shock will lose from 25 to 40 per cent of its feeding value, besides it is a bad practice to say the least to haul it in as needed during the cold winter days. Better plan to stack it if possible. To shred the fodder, you will find more economical than stacking. s

It is usually a good practice to turn the cattle and other stock into the corn stalks for only a short time each day until they get accustomed to the change in the nature of the feed. See that they are provided with plenty of good water.

Better begin to look up the alfalfa crop. Every corn belt farmer should have at least ten acres of this valuable crop nexUyear. You can’t raise your protein any cheaper in any other way.