574 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



hard labor in destroying them afterwards, but will prevent the injury and loss to the crop 

 which would be caused by negligence in this respect. 



The same principle holds true with regard to harvesting crops, or any other of the duties 

 pertaining to farm labor. We have seen farmers neglect to provide suitable drainage for 

 lands until the heavy rains came and saturated the soil with water, and when in this condi 

 tion they did, with twice or thrice the amount of labor that would otherwise be required, 

 what should have been done in a dryer season. Carting dirt from one point to another when 

 the amount of water in it would constitute nearly, if not quite, one-half its weight, instead of 

 doing this when the soil was dry, is another of the many methods of a waste of labor. Some 

 persons seem to possess the faculty of always doing things in the hardest possible way, 

 through negligence and careless management, and in order to secure certain results will 

 perform many times the amount of labor that would be required by others practicing a 

 thorough and systematic method. 



Slovenly Management. The slovenly management seen on some farms causes one 

 to wonder how, under such a system, or, rather, with such a lack of system, any profit what 

 ever could be made, and yet we know farmers who have made quite large profits by farm, 

 ing in just this manner. Their work would be done at nearly all times out of season; the 

 repairing of fences would be neglected, and much time be spent in the most busy and im 

 portant part of the season in looking up the stock that had for this reason strayed away. 

 Dilapidated farm buildings were permitted year after year to become more dilapidated ; drains 

 filled up and were left to take care of themselves. Wood necessary for the household would 

 never be provided in large quantities beforehand, but be picked up from time to time on the 

 farm, as the supply became exhausted, in the shape of broken rails, old rotten stumps, or 

 trimmings from the apple orchard, which would have to be burnt in a green state. 



The poultry would have no warm quarters provided, but be obliged to find a roosting- 

 place in the trees or other out-of-the-way places. 



Pigs wallowed, and even swam in the accumulations of undrained pens and yards. The 

 harvesting of. some of the crops would be delayed so late as to be nearly ruined by the frost, 

 and every thing on the farm would seem to go in a hap-hazard way. 



Now, if any profits whatever can be made by such methods, how much more profitable 

 will farming prove under a thorough and perfect system of management. 



Doing Work Over-Nicely. In striking a contrast with the former, might be men- 

 tioned those who spend too much time and labor in performing their work. They do not 

 possess what is called in hackneyed phrase, &quot;the knack to turn off work,&quot; and much time 

 and labor is spent in doing unnecessary things, or that labor which will prove of no real ben 

 efit to themselves or any one else. They either spend much time in doing things that are not 

 at all essential, and thus waste time and labor, or they are over-nice and particular in the per 

 formance of necessary work. 



They perhaps hoe their crops with the utmost precision, by hand, when a horse-hoe or 

 cultivator would do the work just as well, and with the expenditure of much less labor and 

 time. Or they may insist on carefully mowing their fields with a scythe, instead of using a 

 mowing-machine, because they regard the former method as doing the work better, and leav 

 ing the surface more even than the latter. Such persons seem to fail to perceive that labor 

 and time are equivalent to money, and that all needless waste of either is a loss in money 

 value. Work should always be done thoroughly and well, but an unnecessary expenditure of 

 time and labor is a waste, and cannot properly come under the system of good management. 



Use of Poor Tools. Another example of false economy is seen in the use of poor 

 tools, or those which are not adapted to the purpose designed. The employment of heavy 

 and cumbersome implements when lighter ones would do the work just as well, and perhaps 



