JULY 285 



sliould be destroyed, especially in a year when the plant is not 

 too thick. 



After many doubts Hood and I have come to the decision that 

 we had best buy the reaper. To this there are two alternatives : 

 to do without a machine altogether and trust to the old-fashioned 

 scythe, that is very slow where the extent of ground to be dealt 

 with is considerable, especially in this uncertain climate, which 

 may set in wet at any time. The other is to hire a machine, as 

 we did once before. Now, the rent of a reaper would not be less 

 than 5/., and it may be hazarded that the instrument would be of 

 bad make and quality, as people do not buy good machines to let 

 out to anybody who asks for them. Therefore, especially when the 

 risks of breakage and consequent delay, which are many in the case 

 of such a machine, are taken into consideration, it seems scarcely 

 worth while to hire at a fifth of the price of a new instrument. 



This year we propose to make our agreement with the men 

 for the harvest. This means that, allowing an approximate area 

 of twelve acres of corn crop per head to be cut, carried, stacked, 

 and thatched, each man will receive about 7/. for the work. In 

 fact it is piece work, and the sooner the hands are through with 

 it and put their 7/. into their pockets, the sooner they will be able 

 to get back to labour at their ordinary wage. It should be added 

 that, in return for the use of the reaper, which, of course, saves 

 time and lessens their toil considerably, they will be expected to 

 undertake a certain amount of root cleaning when necessary. 

 The alternative plan — a very bad one in my opinion, which we 

 adopted last year — is that the men should be paid 7/. for the 

 month. Under this system, if they finished the harvest under 

 a month, they would have to return to their ordinary work for 

 such days as remained without wage, their labour having been 

 purchased for the full time. If, on the other hand, the harvest is 

 prolonged beyond a month, they are expected to complete it at the 

 ordinary rate of wage. Under these circumstances, as Mr. Hodge 

 is human, it is scarcely to be expected that he will get on quite 

 so quickly as he does when he is paid by the piece. Indeed, I 



