152 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



a man I felt I couldn't spare would come up with some 

 second-class brother or cousin, and I would have to give him 

 a job, or lose the good one, — like city politics. One big 

 fellow, six feet tall, and weighing about two hundred, a 

 first-rate workman, had a little, insignificant brother whom 

 I never liked the looks of; he demanded a place for him, and I 

 let them go. Well, they got a place together, and the last 

 I heard of him he had used a knife as he ought not to, and 

 had to get out, I never have had that trouble, although one 

 day one of them, who had been eating an apple and using 

 his knife, hit another fellow in the cheek with it. He didn't 

 mean to, and ran two miles to tell me, because he was afraid 

 they would be after him. I kept him in a different gang for 

 a few days, and the matter blew over, and they were two of 

 the best men I ever had. One of them worked for me six or 

 seven years, and when he went home he drew out a thousand 

 dollars to take with him. Instead of standing over them with 

 a whip, help them along and show them how ; but don't ever 

 try to show an Italian how to build a fire. I was clearing up 

 a lot of wood one time, and had a lot of green brush to burn. 

 I tried to show them how to make a success of it, and they 

 went at it and showed me how. It is really a difficult thing 

 to take a lot of green brush and burn it clean, and they will 

 do it every time. 



The conditions that govern the lecturer are entirely differ- 

 ent with me in my location, and so is it with all. I judge 

 his business is largely dairying, while I keep but one cow. 

 Perhaps a man with a lot of cattle can keep the same help 

 all the year round, or a greenhouse man; but the ordinary 

 farmer, who raises his hay and garden crops, more of a farm 

 garden than a market garden, can't keep the same help the 

 year round. At times in the summer I have anywhere from 

 fifty to a hundred in the morning, picking berries. I can't 

 keep those more than a few hours for a few days. In the 

 weed season I may have twenty men for a little while; in the 

 winter I have no use for them. We have to go to the city 

 and pick up what we can find. 



Mr. Augustus Pratt (of North Middleborough). I have 

 been very much interested in this lecture. There were some 



