106 
The Labour Bill in Farming. 
they can help doing. For instance, a fanner, who writes to me 
about piece-work, speaks of labourers who, working on his farm 
at day wages, finish their " score " or " stint " by one o'clock 
day after day. " I say to them, ' Why not work three or four 
hours longer, as you very well can, and earn half as much again, 
say 3s. 6^/. instead of 2s. to 2s. 6c/. a day ? ' They reply, ' No, 
master, we don't want no more money ! We've arned as much as 
we care about ! We'd ruther go home and smoke a pipe ! ' 
Indifference of this kind is common to races of a lower type in 
countries where the means of living are easier than they are 
with us. The negro will hoe or dig in the cane-piece up to. 
noon, and, having earned his shilling, no persuasion or hope of 
earning another shilling will induce him to begin again. But 
I cannot think such cases common in England, where the 
struggle to live is so keen, and opportunities of earning money 
with comparative ease are so seldom within the peasant's reach. 
Education will certainly diminish this indiflference. Even now 
plenty of English peasants are ready to jump at the chance of 
earning more money by piece-work. 
Besides the general tariff for various descriptions of piece- 
work established by Mr. Mathew, special arrangements are 
made from time to time for special work, and the terms are 
generally committed to writing. I have already given a con- 
tract entered into for harvest-work. Here are two more. The 
first is an agreement made with four men " to do the work upon 
the field called Forty-two Acres, to be planted with mangolds or 
turnips as follows: — To fill and spread the muck-hill now 
standing upon the field for the sum of 3/. 5s. ; and, when the 
plant is ready, to hoe the same three times, if necessary, for the 
sum of 8s. per acre, and to do the work in a proper and work- 
manlike manner." The farmer, on his side, undertakes " to do 
the horse-hoeing, or pay for the same being done well, as many 
times as the field is hoed by hand." The second agreement is a 
hiring of a labourer who is " to look after four horses" and do 
the farm work, "being paid as under: — When by the day, at 
the usual wage paid to other able-bodied men upon the farm ; to 
do the ploughing at Is. Ad. per acre ; scarifying and crab- 
harrowing (4 horses), ?>hL per acre ; harrowing (light and 
heavy), 3s. per score acres ; subsoiling ridges with grubber, 5s. 
per acre; Cambridge rolling, 3(^/. per acre; heavy iron rolling, 
3c/. per acre ; splitting down ridges with single plough, Is. (if/, 
per acre. The said C. D. to occupy a cottage, ancl give up 
possession thereof when lie ceases to work for the said W. M 
and to have l.v. per week for overtime and Sunday atten<lanc 
upon horses and stable work. During harvest, to have the sam 
money as other men upon the farm." No time of service i 
