The Song of the Lazy Farmer provided many chuckles for rural readers when I was a boy. It was a regular feature in the Farmer’s Advocate. It’s still a mystery who penned it — the guess was that it probably was a teacher, professor or somebody educated who wanted to keep his or her identity private. There was never a name or any indication who the author was. An elderly man told me some years ago he read Song of the Lazy Farmer when he was a young man in the late 1920’s.
The following was featured in the Canadian Countryman on June 20, 1931. It’s a commentary on alfalfa hay as a crop. Remember alfalfa was a new crop back then.
I’d hardly git it put up when that blamed alfalfa’d grown again. Of all them other crops of his, my neighbor says alfalfa is
The best that grows from out the soil, it pays him better for his toil
Than any other crop that grows, he says there ain’t a cow but knows Alfalfa hay is what she needs, she can’t make milk from straw and weeds.
Alfalfa hay is good for kine, it puts the finish on the swine,
It makes the chickens lay more eggs, the horses all kick up their legs
And prance about when they are fed alfalfa ere they go to bed.
With good alfalfa in the mow he makes a profit from each cow,
Good green alfalfa, full of leaves makes farmin’ pay, so he believes.
I tried it once, and then I quit, because there wan’t no end to it.
I’d hardly start to plowin’ corn before the buddin’ shoots would warn
Me that there must be no delay, I’d have to start to makin’ hay.
And so I’d work away and sweat for ev’ry ton of hay I’d get.
I’d hardly git it put up when that blamed alfalfa’d grown again.
The second crop must be put by the hottest weather in July,
Another crop or two in fall I’d have to pitch, and that ain’t all,
All winter long I’d have to sit and milk my cows, from out each tit I’d have to milk a pail or two, that’s what alfalfa made ‘em do.
I git the backache to this day when I think of alfalfa hay!
Cute eh? It seems the Lazy Farmer was using humour to instruct his readers about the advantages of feeding alfalfa.
