578 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



est delight in feeding and petting them. For are they not his very own? 

 He has implicit confidence and the greatest pride in his farmer father. 

 He has never heard of that man. possibly some of us have, who gave 

 his son six pigs to raise because they were puny and sickly, but on 

 market day. after these same pigs had been made saleable only by the 

 strenuous efforts of a certain little fellow, pocketed all the money, giving 

 the boy another sick pig. Boys like to have pocket money of their own. 

 They enjoy it much better when they have earned it for themselves. 

 They will be sure to spend it wisely, as. having earned it, they laiow 

 and realize its value. 



But, on the other hand, we don't want to keep all our boys on the 

 farm. The wheels of the business morld would be locked in time, should 

 we accomplish this, for the most diflftcult places are being taken every- 

 where by the sons of the farmer, and the rank and file of the world's 

 most famous men are constantly being reinforced from our country 

 homes. 



WHY THE BOY LEAVES THE FARM. 



Miss Mary Stockwell, before the Green County Farmers' Institute. 



That many boys do leave their country homes to engage in other 

 business is a fact which we can not deny. Adn perhaps this prevents 

 stagnation of the current in t|ie great sea of humanity. There' never was 

 an effect without a cause, and there must be some reason for this 

 continual stream of coimtry life flowing toward the towns and great 

 cities. 



The various reasons that come to my mind seem to resolve them- 

 selves under three heads, viz: First, on account of the work; second, 

 on account of the social advantages and attractions of the towns and 

 cities; third, on account of better business openings. 



Some boys make up their minds to leave the farm on account of the 

 work. Now and then a boy may object to the work because he is lazy, 

 but these are exceptional cases. The average boy is active, full of life, 

 and he loves to be doing something, but he must not be kept at his task 

 all the time. We should remember the old saying about "all work and 

 no play." No doubt it would be better for the whole family of the aver- 

 age farmer if the hours of labor could be shortened. In many homes by 

 not planning out quite so much to be done during the season and using 

 a little forethought each day perhaps the work could be made less; but 

 it will be some time in the future, and still more labor-saving machinery 

 will have to be invented, before we can reduce the hours of work to ten, 

 nine or eight hours, as is the case in some employments. But, really, 

 are not these long hours a blessing in disguise? Where will you find 

 more perfect specimens of healthy, hearty boyhood and manhood than 

 you see on the farm? For this very reason the country boy, accustomed 

 to long hours of hard w^ork, strong in body and brain, is often able 

 to far outstrip his city cousin in the race for success in almost any line 



