Identifier: mycountrytisofth00john (find matches)
Title: "My country, 'tis of thee!" or, The United States of America; past, present and future. A philosophic view of American history and of our present status, to be seen in the Columbian exhibition
Year: 1892 (1890s)
Authors: Johnson, Willis Fletcher, 1857-1931 Habberton, John, 1842-1921
Subjects:
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. Y. Huber co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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E farmers troubles. The average American fanner is one of tliebest fellows in the world. He also is one of themost unfortunate. He generally comes to his profession by acci-dent. He may not have meant to become afarmer, but through death, or change of family,or some other circumstance entirely out of hisown control, he comes in possession of thefamily estates, almost certainly encumbered withmortgages, and must continue the family busi-ness to secure a living for himself From thefirst he is doomed to loneliness, which is one ofthe worst curses that humanity can suffer. Hecannot afford to employ help, for if he had capi-tal he would not be a farmer, and it requirescapital to secure proper assistance in the conductof a farm. He must do all of his work himselfIf he cannot do it, it must remain undone. Asa rule the farmers of the United States are awakelong before daylight in the morning, and theirwork continues long after dark in the evening.The working hours of the day, which to the 272
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TACOMA 15UILDING. THE farmers troubles. 273 ordinary laborer are ten hours, and to more fav-ored classes eight or seven, or even six, are tothe farmer as a rule at least fourteen in twenty-four. His work is never done, any more thanwomans. As a natural consequence he always is tiredout. Custom and the demand of the marketsrestrict him generally to a single crop. Whetherthis be wheat, or com, or oats, the seeding timeis comparatively short. So is harvest time. Thefarm is larger than any one man or family canpossibly manage, but American demand beingat present only for raw materials, he has nochoice. He must plant the staples from whichforeign countries are willing to purchase the sur-plus for cash. Otherwise his condition would beworse than that of a slave. It is very hard forany one man to break up more than one acreof ground per day with a good team of horses.What, therefore, can the single-handed Americanfarmer, who owns a hundred and sixty acres ofground, the customary quarter sect

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