INTRODUCTION. 21 



proportion to the number of hands employed, than if one or two 

 laborers only worked together. And, furthermore, when a lot 

 of hands are mowing, or cradling together, each one is prompted, 

 by the recital of some nonsensical story or startling adventure, 

 to relate something similar, in order to disclose his own indomi 

 table perseverance, or prowess, or magnanimity : and if there be 

 half a score, all must wait to hear it. The true remedy is, to set 

 a few hands at work in one field, and a few in another field, 

 when there will usually be a little ambition on the part of faith 

 ful workmen to perform quite as much, or a little more, and a 

 little better, than the other party. 



It is no uncommon thing to see two men sent to the woods to 

 split rails, stakes, or the like, with but one beetle, and as many 

 wedges and glats, as one man only needs. Two laborers can 

 work together very advantageously in splitting such materials 

 only when each one has all the tools which one man requires. 

 But when two men have but one beetle, and a corresponding 

 number of wedges, if they are ever so faithful, there must neces 

 sarily be a loss of time, unless one hand confines himself closely 

 to splitting, while the other chops off the cuts, and peals and 

 piles whatever the other splits. But pealing, piling up, and cut 

 ting the cuts, are usually much less than half the labor required, 

 to make rails and stakes. The true and economical way, when 

 two men are employed to split rails together, is, to furnish each 

 one with a beetle, an axe, and as many wedges as he needs. And 

 then let both work together, when opening the cuts, each one 

 having a good handspike, especially when the cuts are large ; 

 and when a cut is separated, let each one take one half to split 

 into rails ; and they will not be in each other's way ; and all 

 their time and labor will be most economically appropriated. 

 (See SPLITTING RAILS, par. 63.) 



In digging post-holes, two men are very frequently seen at 

 work with but one set of tools. Under such circumstances, it is 

 almost impossible for two laborers to dig in a day twice as many 

 holes as one man alone will dig. When each one must of neces 

 sity wait a few minutes when he wants to use a tool, for the 



