152 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



The ordinary price of farm labor in this section is a half 

 Prussian thaler, or about thirty-seven cents a day, the workman 

 finding himself. This is about as much as I found it in any 

 part of Europe. In most sections it is even less than that. In 

 the county of Kerry, and in fact in most parts of Ireland, the 

 ordinary price of farm labor is one shilling a day, the laborer 

 finding himself. That is twenty-four cents of our money. But 

 the misfortune is that it is difficult to find work, even at that, 

 more than about half the time, so that the condition of the daily 

 laborer is any thing but easy. Nor have they the advantage of 

 any ten-hour system. It is from daylight till dark, and down 

 right hard work at that. In other partfe of that country the 

 price is generally about the same. In Ghent, Belgium, the 

 average price is about a franc and a half, or about thirty cents 

 a day ; the workmen finding themselves. In the neighborhood 

 of Bonn, on the Rhine, it is ten silver groschen, or about twenty- 

 five cents a day. In Wiesbaden it is from forty-two to forty- 

 eight kreutzers a day for workmen on farms and on the road, 

 or from thirty to thirty-five cents. At the farm of the Agricul- 

 tural Institute, at Geisberg, near Wiesbaden, the price paid is 

 thirty-six kreutzers a day, or twenty-four cents, the men in all 

 cases boarding themselves. In and about Heidelberg, in the 

 Grand Duchy of Baden, it varies from forty-two to forty-eight 

 kreutzers. In and around Cassel, the daily wages amount to 

 fifteen silver groschen, or thirty-seven cents. 



On the way up the Rhine, several stout, fine-looking soldiers 

 belonging to the Prussian army came on board. If I recollect 

 aright, they told me they were stationed at Ehrenbreitstein. 

 They were athletic, noble and able-bodied men as I ever saw. 

 I asked them, in the course of conversation, what their pay 

 was. The answer was, twelve silver groschen every ten days, 

 that is just about three cents a day. In that case they were 

 furnished with rations of course, but think of a man in the 

 prime of life, when, if ever, he should be earning s()mething 

 and establishing himself, compelled, often against his will, to 

 enter the army on three cents a day ! 



At the agricultural college at Weihenstephan the pay for 

 female laborers in the field is twenty-four kreutzers, or about 

 eighteen cents a day, finding themselves. This is in harvest 

 time, when the price is higher than at other seasons. These 



