OUSTOMAEY CHOPPING METHODS IN ONTAKIO. 



TONNAGE METHOD. 



During the first few decades of our present system of co-operation between farmer 



and factor, the farmer handled his own crop for the most part, and sold the straw, seed 



on, at the mill. This constituted the first step in advance of the home-working stage. 



Certain conditions arose, however, to make this method lose favour, and to shift the 



initiative in flax-growing from farmer to factor. The reasons for this change were: 



(d) Diminished areas of new lands, theee being mistakenly thought to 



produce the best flax. 



(fc) Increased labour expense at flax harvesting, compared to the effective 

 harvesting of other crops by machinery. 



(c) The growing prevalence of diversified farming whereby the produce of 

 the farms was largely consumed at home. 



The flax man, be it said, was too often forced to choose between inferior straw and 

 a shortage of crop. The importance of more careful harvesting of flax than of other 

 farm cropfe was hard to impress on the average farmer of that day. 



STRAIGHT (RENTALS. 



For such reasons, the tonnage method gradually gave way to the straight rental 

 system whereby the farmer rents his available fields, tilled, at a fixed price per acre, 

 and in some cases agrees to perform the seeding and hauling of the harvested crop to 

 the mill. This arrangement relieves the farmer of all responsibility -after the land is 

 tilled, and assures him of a fixed compensation, usually paid at harvest time. 



But because of certain human peculiarities, the rental price for all sorts of fields 

 in a given locality ordinarily becomes the same; so that under this system there is 

 less inducement for the landowner to offer his best fields for a flax crop. Other 

 difficulties of various kinds make the fetraight rental system only relatively satisfactory. 

 At some flax mills, a combination rental and tonnage arrangement has been recently 

 introduced, and found to give the best satisfaction. 



THE COMBINATION METHOD. 



In this arrangement, the farmer is paid a fixed price per acre and so much addi- 

 tional when the tonnage reaches a certain figure. Thus, at one mill, $12 an acre is 

 the ordinary amount guaranteed, this being raised to $14.50 when the yield of straw, 

 seed on, reaches 2 tons per acre. 



The main recommendations for this form of contract are: 



(a) Compensation according to quality of soil and care in cultivation. 



(Z>) Better flax for the mill operator. 



(c) More interest in the crop on the part of the farmer. 



THE RENTAL SYSTEM WHY ADOPTED. 



The farmer's choice of a crop occasionally depends on forces entirely beyond his 

 control. Certain conditions dictate to him in this matter. The universal cropping 

 of flax on new land is an example of this rule. Flax bears well the task of subduing 

 rirgin toil. Flax pulled by hand can be harvested, no matter how rough or stump- 

 dotted the surface of the field. Flax gives sure and early returns. 



Of late our farmers have been confronted by the harvest labour problem. The 

 withdrawal of thousands of seasonal labourers for war purposes aggravates this situa- 



