FARM LABOR 



869 



comparatively low wage. In the rush season, when day wages are high, lie 

 will sometimes leave his employer unless his wages are raised. To avoid 

 this difficulty, a sliding wage is suggested, the gradation depending on the 

 variation in character and amount of work at different seasons. In gen- 

 eral farming districts a wage of $20 per month and board during December 

 to March, inclusive; $25 for April, May, June and November; and $35 

 per month from July to October, inclusive, gives a satisfactory adjustment 

 and a fairly liberal wage. 



Where records and accounts are kept and it is possible to figure closely 

 on profits, there are conditions under which a living wage may be given, 

 supplemented by a percentage of profits. This offers an incentive to the 



The 



ITBLKS OF A TENANT. 1 



laborer, increases his interest in the work and frequently proves advan- 

 tageous for both employer and employee. 



The wide range in farm wages previously mentioned is due both to the 

 skill of labor and the equipment which is provided. On an average, the 

 wage of labor is in proportion to the work accomplished. The farm 

 laborer in Idaho, receiving more than three times the wage of the colored 

 laborer in the cotton belt, generally drives from three to six horses in a team, 

 whereas the colored man of the South generally drives one mule. In this 

 comparison, the highest paid laborer is probably the cheapest and the one 

 on which the employer makes the greatest profit. 



Housing Farm Labor. — Whether the farm laborer is a single man or is 

 married, whether he lives in the farm owner's house or in the tenant house, 

 it generally pays to provide him with comfortable quarters and plenty of 

 good food. There are many advantages in having a tenant house on the 



1 Courtesy of The Macmillan Company, N. Y. From " Farm Management," by Warren. 



