Labor Contracts.

Under the changed and unhappy condition of every thing connected with farm-labor and farming in our once happy land, it has become necessary to adopt some form of contract with the negro, when hired as a farm-laborer. And that form should be, as far as possible, uniform all over the State.

Mere engagements for occasional work, by the day, week, or month will not do upon cotton plantations. No man can afford to risk the outlay necessary, unless the labor is reasonably sure for the year.

Whether hired for money-wages or for a portion of the crops, there are certain stipulations which should be rigidly insisted upon.

By laws recently enacted-approved......, 1866-it is provided that contracts made with laborers, for more than one month, may be in writing; three copies of the contract to be made; one for the employer; one for the employed; who represents himself and his family; and the third shall be filed in the office of the Clerk of the County, and by him properly indexed in a book for that purpose, that it may be easily referred to.

The interests of both employer and laborer are carefully and fully guarded by the provisions of this act. The laborer has a lien upon one half the crops for the payment of his wages, whether payable in money or in kind. He can be held liable in damages for breach of contract on his part.

An amendment to the Penal Code makes it a serious penal offense to tamper with, or persuade, the employé of another to break his or her contract, and a still more serious offense to employ the employé of another while under contract. Hence the importance of carefully drawn-up contracts.

The laborer should stipulate that he engages himself and his family to the employer, as farm-laborers upon his farm, in such and such a county, to do and perform all of the work required to be done upon that farm, as directed by the employer, be that work what it may in the regular course of work; including the care of stock of all kinds upon the farm, cutting and hauling wood for, and supplying other like customary and necessary wants of, their own and their employer's households; carrying on such a system of improvements as, in the employer's judgment, can be carried on without detriment to the crops such as making and repairing fences, hedging and

ditching, opening fresh lands, building and repairing houses; and doing any other necessary and customary farm-work.

That for himself and family, he recognizes as the hours of labor, ten hours per day, of steady work, upon an average of working days the year round—that is, that while a fewer number of hours may suffice during some seasons of the year, to do the needful work, a greater number may be required at others; as, for instance, when cutting out, or picking cotton, etc.; and which shall not be considered as being extra labor, if not exceeding an aver age of ten hours per day, and not even then if the employer deems the extra labor necessary to the saving of crops.

If however, the laborers are paid moneywages, and are required by the necessities of the work upon the farm to labor more than an average, the year round, of ten hours per day, they should be paid for that extra labor at the rate at which they are hired.

If paid in a share of the crops, a daily record should be kept of the work done by each worker upon the farm, and of the ability of each worker; to be open every Saturday afternoon to all who are interested; and to form the basis of a just and fair division among the laborers, of their respective shares of the crops. The employer or manager, where one is kept, should settle all misunder standings or disputes between the laborers: and in case of any disputes or disagreements arising, which cannot be thus settled by employer and manager, such cases should be submitted to the arbitration of the County Judge, whose decision shall be final. The question of the final and just division of the crops, and that of the loss of time from any cause, to be subjects for such adjudication and final settlement. And any fines or deductions for such loss of time, etc., should be divided between the employer and employed in the same proportions in which the crops are divided.

The employer should engage, on his part, to house the laborers in reasonably comfortable cottages; to supply all of the fuel said family may require, the cutting and hauling of which to be part of the regular work of the farm, to furnish to each worker over twelve years of age, of said family, one peck of good and sound corn-meal, and three and a half pounds of sound bacon, or seven pounds of fresh beef or mutton, at the employer's option, per week;

and might agree to sell to them, at market prices, such flour, sugar, coffee, tea, tobacco, etc., as they may require for their own use, not to exceed in amount $............per quarter, to be paid for at the end of the year, out of the proceeds of their share of the crops; to give to said family the use of a milch cow, on condition that the calf is properly cared for; and the use, free of rent, of one half of an acre of good land for a garden, convenient to their homes; to permit the said family to raise what poultry they may choose, excepting, perhaps, geese and turkeys; and to keep a pig, in a pen, for each worker in the family; but no other stock whatever.

The practice of negroes, laborers on a farm, keeping upon that farm one or more horses or mules, and of dropping work on Saturday at noon, no matter what may be the condition of the crops or of the work, is simply absured, and should never be conceded as a right.

No labor should be required or exacted on the Sabbath day, except such as is customary in all Christian communities. And the employer or manager should designate who are to perform those necessary duties, endeavoring to let them fall equally upon each, in his or her turn.

Any disobedience of a reasonable order; any neglect of duty or of work; insolence on the part of negroes to their employers, or other conduct calculated to produce disturbance or difficulty on the farm, should be punished by fines, stipulated in the contract; and continued misconduct should be made cause of dismissal, with stipulated forfeiture of a portion of the wages or of share of crop.

It should be distinctly provided, as a condition in their contract, that no negro shall keep fire-arms on the farm or premises of his employer.

Let such reasonable conditions as these be made general, and there will be no difficulty; nor is there injustice in enforcing them.

The employer should bind himself, when the hands are paid a portion of the crops, to keep the farm supplied, at his own cost, with the teams, tools, implements and machines, and with feed for the teams until such feed is produced upon the farm-after which they should be fed from the crops before division -sufficient for the proper and efficient cultivation of the farm with the number of hands employed upon it; and should recognize the

fact, that as the laborers thus employed are to receive as in full compensation for their labor a certain share of the crops made, the labor of the hands and teams should not be taken up in making unusual improvements, or such as would clearly lessen the amount of crops to be made; or if, from any cause, they are thus employed, it should be with the consent of the said laborers, and be paid for as extra work.

The employer should agree to pay the laborer, for himself and family, in full compensation for their labor, for each year of the term for which they are employed, such share of the one third or other stipulated part of all the crops grown and produced, resulting from their labor, upon the said farm, as may le awarded to him and them, (the said laborer and family,) in the division to be made among the laborers employed on the farm and having an interest in the crops, of the one third or other part of said crops at the end of each year. The said division to be regulated and controlled by the laborers, by and with the assistance and counsel of the employer and manager, to take place on the plantation, after the crops are housed, stacked, or ginned and baled, or otherwise ready for market. The laborers to be charged with the cost of the bale-rope and bagging required for their portion of the cotton. If, however, in the judgment of the employer, it may be for his interest and that of the laborers, that the cotton, or any of the other crops' should be sent to market before the close of the year, owing to the probable conditions of the markets, roads, or rivers, etc., such crops, or portions of crops, may be sent forward and may be sold, provided the said employer first makes such provision for securing to the said laborers the net proceeds of their share of said cotton, or other portions of the crops sold, as shall be approved by them in writing, or before competent witnesses.

Contracts thus drawn up, and recorded or filed as provided for by law, would protect both employer and employed; the latter from risk of dispute as to rate of wages, privileges, and provisions, or risk of non-payment of wages; and the former from the gross imposition to which he is now exposed, in loss of time, neglect of all kinds of work, and refusal to do any thing but what the negroes choose to look upon as their proper work. As also from that great and intolerable evil and injustice, of every negro on the farm claiming to

Culture of Broom Corn. Good crops of broom corn may be raised, with proper care and attention, on any clean fertile land where Indian corn will succeed well. River flats are particularly well adapted to it, provided the nature of the soil or the situation gives them a good natural drainage. Uplands should be well underdrained if the subsoil is retentive of water. Drained muck beds are more liable to frost, are not compact enough, and are not well adapted to the culture of this crop. As the plants appear small and feeble at first, and are easily choked by an over-growth of weeds, it is more important that the soil should be clean than for the culture of common corn; and, as complete success depends on fertility, more pains should be taken to have everything just right. A crop of broom corn, it is true, may be raised with a moderate degree of care and attention; but the yield will be moderate, and perhaps it may prove a losing affair. In order to obtain the highest net profit, let everything be done in the most perfect manner.

If the land is not perfectly clean, the best way will doubtles be to plant on a freshly inverted sod-a clover sod being decidedly the best, especially if the land is inclining to be heavy. The roots of the clover will loosen it in a better manner than ploughing or harrowing alone can accomplish. An excellent mode is to spread old manure, the seeds of which have been killed by fermentation, or any other manure that is clear of foul weeds, on the clover the previous summer or early in autumn. Late in autumn or early in winter will be better than spreading in the spring, the manure will soak into the soil during the several months before ploughing, and become better diffused than could be accomplished by any ploughing or harrowing. The time for planting is about the same as for common corn-as early as will do to escape spring frosts. Before planting, let the soil be made perfectly mellow, and if to be in hills, mark out so that they may be as near together as will admit of convenient cultivation. The nearer they are together, or in other words, the more evenly and uniformly the plants are distributed over the surface, the greater will be the yield of brush. A common distance of hills is two and a half to three feet one way, and twenty inches to two feet the other. If planted in drills, a larger crop may be obtained, as a greater number of stalks will grow,

but they are attended with more labor. The number of plants may be about three times as great as for Indian corn. If a larger quantity of seed is planted, so as to require some thinning out, the crop will be more even and larger, but will need a greater expenditure of work. It is common to plant a dozen or more seeds in each hill, about an inch deep, and thin out to seven or eight-leaving a larger number if the hills stand two by three feet than if twenty Ly thirty inches. Drills are sometimes placed only twenty-eight inches apart. Many regard the finer and softer brush of thick growth as best.

The cultivation of the ground should be commenced as soon as the plants make their appearance. It is very important that they be not allowed to become encumbered or crowded with weeds. Keep the whole surface perfectly clean from the very start. Continue the horse cultivation once a week, as long as the size of the plants will admit. This is not generally attended to, but the constant stirring of the surface and breaking of the crust will make an important difference in the amount of the crop.

When the stalks have sufficiently grown, or when the seeds are in the milk state, the breaking back is performed. It is done at a convenient height for the operator, generally so as to leave a foot or two of stalk from the base of the brush. Two rows are broken towards each other, so as to admit a ready passage between the other two. The seed being rather difficult to cure by dying, some cultivators give no attention to saving it, especially as it often fails to ripen at the north except in favorable seasons. If the stalks are broken back a little earlier, they form a better brush. In a few days they are cut, just above the break, and laid in bunches to dry. These must not be opened, to become wet by rain, as this would injure their value. The seed are removed by hand, with a sort of coarse comb, where the plantations are not large; but when the crop is cultivated on an extensive scale, it is done with a machine driven by horsepower. The brush or tops are dried by laying them on horizontal poles, and successive tiers placed one above the other, leaving spaces for the air between each. Sheds or lofts may be used for this purpose. Temporary structures for drying are made of rails, the brush being laid on pairs of rails laid horizontally, so as to form a structure 12 fect square,

or equal to the length of the rails, and each successive tier formed by resting the horizontal rails on an additional rail placed under each of their ends. By selecting the larger rails for one side, this side gradually becomes higher than the other, and admits a board roof for the top when the height has reached eight or ten feet. The quantity of brush yielded from an acre is usually about five or six hundred pounds, but, in rare instances, it has reached as high as a thousand pounds. The price varies from five to ten cents. There is more uncertainty with this crop than with many others-not on account of the difficulty of raising, for with proper care it is reasonably certain, but from the uncertain or fluctuating character of the market. With the seed, especially, this uncertainty is great. Sometimes it is sold as high as three or four dollars per bushel; at other times for not more than fifty cents. The seed may, however, be profitably used as food for horses when mixed with oats or other grain. When the seed is not allowed to mature, several successive crops have been grown on the same ground without detriment, and with moderate manuring.

We would not advise our correspondent to go largely into the cultivation of broom corn until he has experimented on a moderate scale, and ascertained the probability of a good market. Perhaps, however, he may regard a fifty acre crop a moderate experiment, which he could afford to lose without serious detriment should the result prove unfavorable. We cannot give the names asked for, nor state where the seed may be bought.-Country Gentleman.

Man is an important agency in agriculture. The vital power may exist in the seed, but care and skill are required in the development of it. Although man cannot act directly upon the functions of plants, he can modify and control to a certain extent the influence of other agents upon these plants. Thought, as well as hard work, is necessary to make a successful farmer. It is a mistaken idea that a good education is of no practical value to the tiller of the soil. Unless he understands the principles of science, the influence of atmosphere, the chemical properties of soil, etc., he cannot properly develop the vital power of seed, and justly advance the important interests of agriculture.

Economy in Feeding Horses. The great drawback on the farmer's profits is the consumption of fodder by the all-devouring draft-horse, and too little attention is given to the economy of fodder and to the preparation of it in such a manner that while there is as little waste as possible, the food is given in a shape in which it can be easily masticated and reduced to that pulpy mass, which can be taken up by the blood vessels, and distributed throughout the tissues which extend all over the frame.

The expense of feeding horses is generally so great, as to have a very injurious effect on the pecuniary circumstances of the tillage farmer, and it is a question whether he should be better off without any tillage land. At all events farmers who keep nearly all their land in grass for the purpose of raising cattle, or sheep, are generally much better off than those who keep a large portion of their farms tilled and are compelled to have a large number of horses to do the work. One thing is certain, that if horses are kept, they must be fed, and and the manner of feeding with the least possible expense, and the greatest benefit to the animals, is a matter of very great importance

to the farmer.

In "Hints on the most Economical Manner

of feeding Horses," by S. Menteath, the writer speaks of a variety of articles which are available for feeding farm horses in a very substantial manner at a reasonable expense. Steamed potatoes are strongly recommended as a cheap and useful provender. In feeding with any kind of grain it should always be bruised, or what is better, coarsely ground. the hay should be cut into chaff, that is into small lengths of from a quarter to a half an inch, mixed with a proportion of straw, cut in a similar manner.

In the "Hints" above mentioned there are several examples of successful practice of the economy of forage, founded on long experience in the feeding of horses. In the stables of Hamburg and Trueman, in Spitalfields, 82 horses are kept. The animals receive all their food in the manger; no hay is ever put in the rack. The whole are in excellent condition, evincing the correctness of the management. Each horse consumes in the 24 hours, 18 lbs. of cut hay and straw, of which the latter constitutes one eighth-14 lbs. of bruised oats, one lb. of bruised beans; making in all 33 lbs. of food. In Summer beans are not