(592 ASHTABULA COUNTY, OHIO. 



jievcr dictatorial. If a quiet hint to a talker did not answer, 

 his services were not considered desirable. I always set my 

 men an example in everything, and expected them to do like- 

 wise, deeming it unnecessary to lord it over them to obtain 

 respect. There is a certain happy medium between extremes 

 in the treatment of help. There is a way of inspiring respect, 

 by the proper course of conduct. I never call James Jones, 

 Jim nor Mr. Jones, both extremes with farm employees, but 

 Jones. This is neither familiar, nor over-done. 



I watch everything closely as possible, without seeming to 

 to do so. If the least thing went wrong, I noticed it, and 

 the person sooner or latter became aware of it. Even if the 

 hired help were scattered over the farm, my eye was on them, 

 An amusing case, illustrating this, was that of several men cul- 

 tivating corn some distance off, whom, as it was very hot, I 

 directed to rest their horses often but not long. Going down 

 to the field within a couple of hours after, when I came in sight 

 tliey were resting according to orders ; and started their teams 

 again before I reached the ground. They were told that they 

 had stopped too long at a time. I was met by a puzzled, inquir- 

 ing expression, but replied, that " to wait until the sun 

 dried the fresh earth in the last row, was too long ! " No ex- 

 ceptions were taken to this ruling ! The explanation was 

 no doubt satisfactory. 



My experience is, that success in directing hired help, and 

 -farm management in general, lies in constant personal attention 

 to details. Direct them to be and see that they are attended to. 

 Also, keep help at work that will return a profit, like cropping. 

 There is too much other work about a farm that men are often 

 put at, which brings no returns. 



SYSTEM IN MANAGEMENT. 



This, is truly half the battle. My plan was always to 

 have everything move like clock-work, aS nearly as possible, 

 by which I could always get much more work done by a lot of 

 farm laborers. For example, when I took my string of half a 

 dozen teams and their drivers to haul out wood, I took my 



