QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT 111 



The conclusions reached by John Lee Coulter on this subject are 

 substantially the same. "It is impracticable/' says Coulter, "to 

 furnish a separate house or building for these hired laborers, and, 

 therefore, the common thing is for the hired laborers to be assigned 

 rooms in the family residence or sleeping quarters in some of the 

 stables or hay barns. At the same time it is very customary for 

 the hired laborers to sit at the table for meals with members of the 

 family unless the number is large enough to warrant setting the 

 table twice. Where only one or two laborers are employed, it is 

 almost a universal practice for these one or two laborers to live 

 in the homes with the resident farmers." 8 



QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT 



1. Is it correct to speak of an "agricultural labor problem"? 



2. What concrete aspects of the farm labor problem were mentioned by the 



American Consul at Leeds? 



3. Cite the conclusions of Board of Agriculture and Fisheries in its Report 



on Migration from Rural Districts. What factors, other than low wages, 

 are mentioned? 



4. What general conditions of farm labor are set forth in the two American 



letters quoted? 



5. Show the meaning and significance of the seasonal nature of farm work. 



Show the social pathology of such a condition. 



6. Show the relation of the I. W. W. movement to agriculture. 



7. Discuss wages of farm labor as to increases, and purchasing power. 



8. Discuss in detail the decline of women's work on farms since 1871. 



9. Discuss the number and supply of farm laborers. 



10. Name and describe the various employment agencies in the field : private 



agencies; national farm labor exchange; federal agencies; farm bureaus. 



11. Show the evils of an unorganized movement of seasonal farm labor in 



"mobs." 



12. Describe and comment on the solution offered by Mr. Hugh J. Hughes, 



particularly his five points making for the satisfaction of the hired man. 



13. What fundamental conditions lie back of irregular employment on farms, 



and what effects do these conditions have on immigrants? 



14. Show the place of transportation and distribution in solving the labor 



problem. 



15. State some of the fundamental factors underlying the drift to the cities, 



commenting in particular on leadership in cities, and the division of 

 labor between city and farm now and formerly. 



16. Cite statistics showing decreases in rural population and increases in 



urban population. 



17. Show economic and social significance of labor saving machinery in agri- 



culture. Cite findings of H. W. Quaintance. 



18. What is the outlook for using city labor on farms, according to Le Grand 



Powers? 



19. Compare the "old" and the "new" immigration as to farmers and farm 



laborers. 



8 John Lee Coulter, Agricultural Laborers in the United States, Annals, 

 March, 1912. 



