686 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 3, 1920 
Farm Facts and Fancies 
The State Competes with Farmers 
Some of our best farm help, who have 
saved up enough to buy homes iu the vil¬ 
lage, only work by the day from April to 
December, for during that time they make 
enough so that the other four or live 
months they can live without doing any¬ 
thing. One of these who has worked for 
me for 12 years came to me the other day 
and asked to be released from his contract 
for the coming year, saying that the State 
had offered him a job for about the same 
length of time, but at nearly double the 
highest farm wages, and for an eight- 
hour day at that. Three others of these 
day men were hired away from their em¬ 
ployers. Of course, the affair is irreme¬ 
diable, as we would all have to build 
houses for their substitutes. Our crops 
have been wheat, potatoes, oats, with 
corn a specialty. Our plan now is to raise 
nothing except for our own use;; mow the 
grass and let it lie, and try to make 
enough out of the fruit just to pay ex¬ 
penses, One near neighbor with fair¬ 
sized orchard and dairy and large poul¬ 
try plant has had no help for three years. 
He says he intends to get a job in town 
and sell his apples on. the trees for what 
they will bring. When these Government 
employes go past at four o’clock on their 
way home, while farm help is still labor¬ 
ing hard afield, they are very much in¬ 
clined to be dissatisfied and less efficient. 
Some city prophets and statisticians have 
made the statement that we have now 
reached the very highest point in the 
H. C. L., but if I can read the signs aright 
it would seem to me that it. hasn’t, even 
commenced yet, so far as the production 
of foodstuffs is concerned. M. 
Prohibition and Farm Labor 
A reporter in Monmouth County. X. J., 
advances the novel proposition that pro¬ 
hibition has made the labor situation 
worse than ever. Formerly many farm 
laborers would work until they had 
earned a little money, and then go on a 
spree. After that was over they would 
come back and work awhile longer. We 
have certainly had that same experience 
in our own neighborhood. Now, it is 
said, these men, unable to obtain liquor 
at any normal price, save their money 
and, with no real ambition to work, are 
not anxious to hire out while they have 
cash. That is a new one to us. Our 
correspondent. Trucker, Jr., of South Jer¬ 
sey, gives this comment: 
“I am interested in the Monmouth 
County farmers’ view of labor shortage 
being due to prohibition. Perhaps there 
is a little something in it. Several farm¬ 
ers down here have told me there are no 
men to be had from the farm employment 
offices in Philadelphia this year. For¬ 
merly men would get drunk, get fired 
from their city job. then go to a farm 
office and hire out for a month or so on 
the farm. Other men would work on 
farms the year around, but usually 
changed places every two weeks or a 
month, getting a' good drunk in between 
jobs. Now these men remain sober and 
hold their jobs, whether city or farm. 
For farmers to complain of this is the 
height of folly. Those “bums” formerly 
secured from the offices brought disease 
and vermin to the farm home, and did 
more perhaps than any other one thing 
to disgust the housewife and the farm 
boys with farm life. 1 for one hope that 
class of farm labor is gone for good, and 
it will benefit country living.” 
fc.vcij i'mpty Cars Held Up 
• Farmers about here are considerably 
worried over the railroad situation. Me 
cannot get cars for our hay. Dealers 
who would average five to 10 or more 
cars a week are getting about two cars 
a month. I know people who pressed 50 
tons last December who have been able 
to move only one carload during the past 
Winter. Our Montgomery County Co¬ 
operative Hay and Produce Association 
has over 100 cars of hay waiting to be 
shipped, but has been able to ship only 
a fraction of its offerings all "Winter. 
Buyers come her to buy hay, find they 
can’t ship, and go home. As you know, 
hay is a high price; also it was a fairly 
large crop last year. What will be the 
price of it one month after the roads do 
give us cars if this happens before Sum¬ 
mer. no one can now tell. Enormous 
quantities of liav will reach the market 
and the price will probably be affected 
by the supply. 
The statement of Prof. Warren of Cor¬ 
nell relative to the substantial decrease 
of farm labor in New' York State is fully 
upheld in this county. I have witnessed 
a great number of auctions this Spring, 
1 have seen the advertisements of seven 
during the past week. In addition the 
size of families is being decreased, and 
I doubt if there is one hired man now 
where there used to be five three years 
ago in the same area. Our district school 
has just started a 15-minute period de¬ 
voted to current events, etc. I am hav¬ 
ing The R. N.-Y.. the Outlook and the 
National Geographic Magazine supplied 
for this period. D. B. D. 
Education Through Labor 
“If anyone can show me a worse job 
than running a Winter dairy under such 
conditions as have prevailed the past 
Winter I should like to be shown—but I 
don’t want to tackle the job. Iu the first 
place, help is practically out of the ques¬ 
tion. The little farm help that there is 
to be had is not of the class that one 
must have to produce Winter milk. Last 
Fall I turned the herd over to the State 
and federal authorities, and they weeded 
out 11 head. (But three of these were 
found to be sound on post-mortem exam¬ 
ination). This somewhat cut down the 
work and helped to reduce the surplus 
of milk. But I had 40 head of cattle, 
five horses and t flock of chickens left. 
I took care of these as well as I could, 
milking with a machine, until one night 
the grip came along and anchored me in 
bed. After much telephoning my wife 
got two neighbors to come, and I in¬ 
structed them as well as I could as to 
the feeding of the stock. These men had 
all the work they could handily manage 
without mine, so after three days, as 
soon as I could get to' the barn, I was 
left with the whole thing again. If some 
of these city fellow's who are clamoring 
for shorter hours and more pay could 
have stepped into my boots, being so 
weak that they could hardly walk, and 
undertaken the care of nearly 50 head of 
stock, I think they would understand 
more about the situation.” reader. 
Farmer or Carpenter 
I have practically decided what to do, 
but would like to hear your side of it. 
I have been working my father’s run-out 
farm for four or five years, and am of 
course just starting to bring it back 
where it should be. Last Summer I 
bought a truck and ran into town (a 
very good market) with my produce, 
thereby making a very good thing out 
of it, and getting every cent there was 
in it. Just subtracting what I put in 
from what I paid out I cleared an aver¬ 
age of $100 per month for seven months. 
This counted all gasoline bought, etc., 
and everything I sold. Of course this 
didn’t count depreciation and interest on 
the money invested. This Winter I have 
been at work carpentering in a little vil¬ 
lage 2 y<i miles away; have been earning 
70 cents per hour, all Winter, or nearly 
$40 per week. This Summer I can get 
80 cents per hour, with Saturday after¬ 
noons off, which is about $42 per week. 
Which way will I come out best in the 
end, working my farm or carpentering 
this Summer? Of course if I work in 
the village I can’t farm very much, al¬ 
though 1 have two brothers 15 years old. 
If I farm it I can’t earn the cash. One 
man told me “Get the money while it 
is here.” This territory or town is boom¬ 
ing just at present along the industry 
line. State road, mills, bridges, water 
works and a power house being built. Of 
course you haven’t got the personal side 
of it, but I thought I would write. 
Maine. H. A. B. 
R. N.-Y.—No man is justified in giv¬ 
ing direct advice in any such case with¬ 
out knowing all the personal side of it. 
There are two good arguments to be 
made. Several such cases have been put 
up to us. In the majority of them the 
decision has been to take the town job 
and keep the farm going as well as pos¬ 
sible. The object is to get all the cash 
possible, and save it for farming capital 
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