FARM LABOR 



MAN LABOR 



210. Why farm labor is scarce. There are several 

 reasons why farm labor is not so abundant as formerly: 



(1) Perhaps the most important cause is education. 

 Most of the farm work is and always has been done by the 

 farm family. Formerly the children began farm work as 

 soon as they were old enough and continued to work for 

 the family until 21 years of age. They went to school for 

 a few months in the winter. To-day most of the farm 

 chlidren remain in school longer. The age of employ- 

 ment has been raised. The children probably work as 

 much when not in school. In the typical agricultural 

 state of Kansas, one-third of the population is in school. 



(2) The farm families are probably smaller than for- 

 merly. 



(3) Women are doing less farm work. 



(4) Tenancy is increasing, apparently about as rapidly 

 as the proportion of hired-men decrease. Farms that used 

 to be large enough to employ a hired-man by the year 

 do not require two men all the year when more horses are 

 driven by each worker. Many men who might be hired- 

 men, therefore, become tenants. 



(5) Until 1898, farming was subject to frequent and dis- 

 astrous overproduction, so that farming rarely paid well. 

 At the same time, the cities were prospering. The better 



330 



