566 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



in entering upon the busiaess of raising them for 

 mark t. 



A New Jersey correspondent of the Gardeners' 

 Monthly, who has been experimenting on "Ten 

 Acres Enough," sent several chests of strawber- 

 ries to the Phiiadelphia market one day last sea- 

 son, for which he paid three cents a quart for pick- 

 ing. Tbey were sold by his commission man for 

 four cents a quart. 



THE LABOR QUESTlOJSr IN KENTUCKY. 



A report of the ditcnssions at the weekli^ 

 meetings of the Lexington, Ky., Farmers' 

 Club has been published in the Farmers'' 

 Home Journal of that place for two or three 

 years past. From the character of the dis- 

 cusiions reported, as well as from the honor- 

 ary titles of most of the members, we presume 

 that the Club is composed of the leading men 

 of the section. 



The subject of labor, as might reasonably 

 be expected from the great change which has 

 been effected in the relation of the employer 

 and those employed in agriculture by the 

 abolition of slavery, has been a leading topic 

 both of dissertation and of debate by this Club. 



Very different opinions as to the effects of 

 this revolution have been expressed ; a great 

 many plans have been proposed for the man- 

 agement of the labor that is now available, 

 and numerous suggestions have been made for 

 obtaining other labor. 



Of late, the attention of the Club has been 

 directed to the question of Chinese emigration. 

 This is earnestly advocated by some and op- 

 posed by others. A plan for the combination 

 of farmers interested in securing a large im- 

 portation of Chinese laborers has been consid- 

 ered by the Club. At a late meeting, Col. Ha- 

 den, as reported in the Home Journal, said 

 that. 



He had had superior opportunities for informing 

 himself in regard to the capacities of the Chinese. 

 Tliey are available now and are readily controlled, 

 an important consideration in deciding upon the 

 value of laborers. Tliey will adapt themselves to 

 our wants and be contented and faithful to their 

 employers. 



Mr, R. W. Scott also favored their intro- 

 duction, but remarked : — 



The Irishman or Scotchman, who comes here as 

 a day laborer, will hi a few years, by economy and 

 thrift, improve bis condition and be employing 

 laborers to do his own work. They make it their 

 permanent home. But this is not the case with 

 Chinese. They will come here to avail themselves 

 of the high wages and to make money, not to 

 spend it here or to remain permanently, but always 

 with the intention of returning to the Celestial em- 

 pire, as they term China. They will come here 



merely to make something to enjoy on their return, 

 for in tlieir I'elief, H' aven can never !)'> veactied 

 unless the soul starts from the C li>>ial Kingdom, 

 hetue a Chinaman will gi b ck to bis naiivc c un- 

 try with his earninss if he is alive, bin, it he dies, 

 his dead body is returned. Thus a cnn-tant drain 

 will be kept up fn the resourci s of our Ci>untry. 

 With European laborers, the accumulated rmans 

 will he devoted to tlie acqui>ition of land, iraprove- 

 merits or* therwise '^xp'.'r.ded hfrc. 



Judge Kinkcad was at fir-t inclined to \iew fa- 

 vorably the propotition to introduce Chinese labor 

 here, but the information he had been enabled to 

 gathf r since, had awakened doubts a? to its advis- 

 ability. 



Dr. R. J. Spurr did not ff'ar any injury to our 

 people from coming in contact wirh rh >e heathens, 

 but on the contrary, is of the opinion ihil she influ- 

 ences to which the Chinese will be subjected here 

 in our country, will be beneticial in the liighcit de- 

 gree to them. 



Dr. Gay opposed the combination plan. As to 

 'he value of Chinese labor, he knew nothing pcr- 

 fonaliy, but from conversations recently with 

 those who have tried it, he was induced t > believe 

 that it would prove entirely saiisfactoiy t.) our 

 puople. The mountain counties of our own State 

 had hundreds of stout, industrious young men who 

 would make reliable skilful laborers. 



Squire Oldham thought it was utterly impossible 

 for our farmers to enter into any combmation that 

 w(iUld prove effeciive. When slavery was abol- 

 ished, he told his negroes they were free; then 

 designating such as he wanted to retain, he in- 

 formed them he would give them one dollar per 

 day when they worked faithfully, but that they 

 must provide themselves with food, clothes and all 

 other necessaries. He has never liad any trouble, 

 and is convinced thai f.dr wages, kind, consider- 

 ate treatment and jii^t dealing, will enable a far- 

 mer to engage as many good laborers as he wants, 

 who will remain taithtul to all their contracts. 

 Proper treatment will make many negroes useful 

 and reliable, who are now regarded as worthless. 

 They can be controlled by the same intlaences 

 that are potent with the wliite man ; place the 

 proper inducements betore the freedmen, stimu- 

 late their sense of manhood, and make them feel 

 that they are indeed free, and with the inculcation 

 of such feelings they will prove more uselul and 

 more worthy of our confidence. There are trifling 

 negroes through the country imposing on farmers 

 and bringing reproach on the race; he would be 

 glad to see this worthless class restrain! d and pun- 

 ished, but it is neither liberal nor just to condemn 

 all for the unfaithfulness of a comparatively small 

 number. He expressed the opinion, in reply to a 

 question, that lanor was as cheap now, here in 

 Kentucky, if not cheaper than in adjoining States. 

 He may pay his liands hoav a little more than he 

 did in the days ot slavery, l)ut taking into consid- 

 eration the numerous expenses he was subject to 

 at that day, he thought his labor cost him no 

 more now than it did then. In r^ply to a question 

 by Judge Kinkead, Mr. Oldham fraid that iu his 

 opinion, the laborers now m our midst and young 

 men and boys of our State, constituted our main 

 dependence, the source to which we must look for 

 the supply of labor we need. He believed it was 

 in the power of our |)Cuplc by judicious action, to 

 procure all the laborers required to conduct our 

 agricultural operations. 



Mr. P, H. Thompson said that he had experi- 

 enced no difficulty whatever in procuring reliable 

 industrious laborers. He jiays nun jgl'i a month 

 and women wiihout children ^'6 or $f7 per month, 

 and thinks they cannot .supiiort themselves on 

 less. He tells th ni \s hen he ci gages them, that 

 they must work faithfully, without being watched, 

 and obey orders ; treating them fairly and paying 



