No. 4.] FARM HELP PROBLEM. 145 



was formerly. Every farmer should provide himself with a 

 full quota of such help. The hancl-labor system has had its 

 day, but it should now make way for the machinery system. 

 In these times farming can be made profitable and certain as 

 an industry only by the judicious use of the best and the 

 most improved farm machinery. 



Another way to get rid of hiring help is to undertake to do 

 no more than we can do ourselves. This method has been 

 adopted by many farmers, but it has worked disastrously to 

 agriculture. A farmer with a few children can often manage 

 successfully a small farm without hired help; but the chil- 

 dren are used to some extent in lien of the hired help, and 

 they furnish no argument for the nonemployment of help. 

 Xo farm is small enough for one man alone to run profitably. 

 Two or more persons can work together to the best advantage 

 in many kinds of farm work. It is good economy to employ 

 as much help as can work to the best advantage in any kind 

 of business. To do less is to be penny wise and pound foolish. 

 Hence the nonemployment of necessary help is not a sat- 

 isfactory solution of the farm help problem. But it is 

 legitimate and often wise for a farmer, when hampered and 

 tormented by the scarcity of help, to change his methods in 

 a way to reduce the number of his employees. As less help 

 is required to raise live stock for meat products than for 

 dairying or grain raising, it might be advisable for a fanner 

 with suitable land to engage in meat production rather than 

 in grain and dairy production. The present price of meat is 

 high, and it is likely to remain high, and consequently it 

 might be well for many farmers to raise sheep and cattle 

 for meat production. By doing this, many a farmer might 

 diminish his help without any diminution of his income or 

 of the fertility of his soil. The poultry and fruit industries 

 also furnish promising fields for work without a great num- 

 ber of help. 



Again, the scarcity of farm help could be lessened by the 

 payment of the same wages and the employment of the same 

 number of men all the year round. It is now the custom of 

 most farmers to employ more help and pay them more wages 

 in the summer than in the winter. This is not customarv in 



