18 INTRODUCTION. 



labor with two workmen, than his neighbor does with four labor 

 ers of equal strength ? Why do the operations on one farm move 

 on most effectively in every respect, without any hurry, or blus 

 ter, or fretting, or worrying of teams, while on the next farm all 

 is hurry and excitement, and but little work done ? The answers 

 to these interrogations may all be expressed in few words, which 

 cannot be gainsay ed: A want of wise plans, and an improper 

 appropriation of the forces of the farm. 



Every farmer, in order to be successful, must have well-digested 

 plans for performing every operation connected with his business. 

 He can never hope to be successful who goes to work at random. 

 A successful farmer will be a thinking man ; and all his plans will 

 be so harmonious, that little, if any, of his available force will be 

 improperly appropriated, under any circumstances. He will never 

 send two laborers to perform a little job which one can do in 

 about the same period of time. It cannot be denied that multi 

 tudes of pretty good farmers are most stupendously deficient on 

 this point ; and it is no uncommon occurrence to see them employ 

 two, three, and even four laborers to do what one hand could per 

 form very advantageously. There are very many operations on 

 the farm which one hand cannot do to any good advantage ; but 

 when one man can perform a given piece of work alone by work 

 ing four times as long as it would require four men to do it, as a 

 general rule, in practice, it will be found to be most economical, 

 on the score of expense, to employ but one hand at such a job. 

 It cannot be expected that uninterested laborers will care but 

 little how many of them are sent by their employer to perform a 

 given job ; therefore the skillful and successful farmer, whether 

 he is a tyro or not, should always think a moment, whether more 

 than one hand is really needed, and whether one will not perform 

 a certain job about as quickly as two will do it. 



The practice of some farmers always is, if there is a job or two 

 of labor at a distant part of the farm which one hand could do iu 

 an hour or so most advantageously, to send three or four to do it, 

 thinking that if one man can do it in two hours, two men will be 

 able to do it in one hour ; and four men can do it in half an hour. 



