Report of Missouri Farmers' Week. 475 



curing meat for the next summer's market, and constructing farm 

 buildings, along with more efficient care of the stock. A farmer 

 near Elsberry laid the concrete floor of his hog house before freez- 

 ing weather and built the house during January and February. 

 You should try to find profitable work for your men rather than 

 plan how you can cut down the work and turn them off. If work 

 is a little short, instead of turning your men off and doing all the 

 work yourself, keep the men and use some of your time to do a 

 little studying. 



Farmers, as a rule, are inefficient as employers, probably be- 

 cause they have not had much practice in employing. Even in the 

 city where employers and employes live apart the successful em- 

 ployer is considerate with his men. In the country where you and 

 your workmen must necessarily live as neighbors you should as 

 nearly as possible treat them as your equal. Efficient men in the 

 country refuse to be patronized. Negro men do not expect to be 

 treated as social equals but they expect fair treatment. Of course 

 your work on the farm must be done, but try to give the man the 

 work he likes best aAd in which he is most efficient. A dairyman 

 near Neosho hired a man to drive the milk wagon. The man dis- 

 liking that work, was changed to ordinary farm work, which he 

 does willingly and efficiently. Try to give each man definite work 

 and do not ask extra work of him. A farmer near St. Louis is 

 very much appreciated by his men because he seldom asks extra 

 work of them, while one of his neighbors has great difficulty in 

 keeping men and cannot get good ones because he is always trying 

 to run in extra work on them. Some men find it advisable to have 

 a scale of wages based on the number of hours a man works a day. 

 If you do not do this but pay a standard wage, it will usually pay 

 to give your regular hands a bonus during harvest and threshing. 

 But don't think because you give a man an occasional bonus that 

 this entitles you to ask favors of him. Ask a favor as a favor, and 

 if you give a bonus give it as a reward. A farmer near Windsor 

 pays a man a reasonable wage to start and increases the wage each 

 year as he becomes more experienced and efficient in the work. 

 If a man does not improve satisfactorily in efficiency he is dropped. 



You will have very little trouble with the hired hand if you 

 give him regular work, treat him fairly and pay him reasonable 

 wages. 



