IIO AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



as for the locomotive engineer, because varied work and tem- 

 perature, the air movement, the dryness of the soil, and the 

 character of the previous crops all affect the speed which is 

 correct for a given day. The schedule must be figured for each 

 combination of circumstances which presents itself. The 

 farm workman who has the time sense and for this reason works 

 to schedule will earn from $5 to $10 per month more for this 

 reason. Much of the occasion for long hours on the farm can 

 be removed by introducing system and snap into the work. 



Ability to control men is essential in the farmer who is an 

 employer of help. This requires the ability to understand the 

 temperament of men and to treat them in such a way as to bring 

 out the action desired with good feeling on the part of every one. 

 Fairness in the treatment of men is essential to this result. 

 The manager who feels like criticizing the workman for accom- 

 plishing so little should assume in his questions that an adequate 

 cause prevented the man from accomplishing more. In case 

 of uncertainty as to how much should be accomplished, the 

 manager should put his hand to the task. This will often make 

 him well pleased with what others have accomplished. The 

 manager who criticizes his workmen on the basis of things he has 

 imagined to be true without making sure of the facts will lose 

 the confidence, good will, and respect of the men under him, 

 without which control is impossible. 



Control is usually easier where workmen are young. Boys 

 who have been used to parental guidance conform more readily 

 to directions than older men who have been used to greater 

 freedom of action. The fact that about half of the workers 

 on farms in the United States, other than the farmers themselves, 

 are members of the family of the farmer, greatly facilitates 

 control of the workers on farms. This not only gives a paternal 

 basis for control, but is supplemented by the worker's interest 

 in the estate as one who may expect to share in the inheritance. 

 This is one reason why the family farm is usually more success- 

 ful than the farm operated by hired men. 



Ability to cooperate with neighbors is important, especially at 

 threshing time and when the silos are to be filled. Good 



