164 Seventeenth Annual Report of the 



securing farm help, so that they might be fully informed as to 

 the requirements of the bureau; and also the accompanying blank 

 upon which orders for help were to be sent to the bureau: 



State of New York, 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



RAYMOND A. PEARSON, Commissioner. 



Bureau of Agricultural Labor. 



Albany, X. V , 1909. 



Mr 



jjkar Sir: 



Yours of in relation to securing farm labor is at hand. 



This department is endeavoring to assist the farmers of this State in securing 

 a good class of such help both native and immigrant. About 15,000 farm 

 hands have been secured and sent to farmers in this State during the last 

 three and a half years and a large proportion of them have proven entirely 

 satisfactory to their employers. Many of those sent out were men with 

 families. 



A large number of laborers who would apparently make good farm hands, 

 have been out of employment during the past year owing to the business 

 depression, and many of them are still seeking employment. We believe it 

 would be to the advantage of farmers who will need help during the coming 

 season to employ them at once as the large number of foreigners who have 

 returned to their natives homes has greatly reduced the available supply of 

 labor, and the starting up and running at full capacity of factories and other 

 industries now contemplated will require a large number of additional laborers. 



A blank is herewith enclosed upon which you may forward your request 

 for such help as you may need. It will be necessary for you to send trans- 

 portation for them from New York to destination. The money should be sent 

 by postal order or draft to V. P. Douw Lee, Chief of Accounts, Department 

 of Agriculture, Albany, N. Y. The amount necessary to send you can ascer- 

 tain from the railroad agent at your station. It is well for you to give the 

 department as much discretion as possible in regard to the nationality of the 

 employee. It is very difficult at times to supply all nationalities, especially 

 those of northern European origin, and it is also often difficult to secure good 

 men who speak English. Many of those who have been in this country long 

 enough to learn the English language have resided in the cities and have 

 contracted habits which prevent their becoming good farm hands, and it is, 

 therefore, often more satisfactory to take a recently arrived immigrant and 

 teach him your way of performing farm operations. They quickly learn some 

 English. The exercise of patience often encourages and makes a first-class 

 farm hand out of those who would otherwise become easily discouraged. 



In requesting help through this department applicants should carefully 

 state the nationality preferred, the nature of the work to be performed and 

 the wages to be paid, either by the month, or year. It is often difficult to get 

 families to go into the country on account of the expense, and also the uncer- 

 tainty as to whether both parlies will he satisfied; and we would therefore 



