Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-07-11
WHY BOYS LEAVE
THE COUNTRY
MANY CLAIM FARMING DOES
NOT PAY.
TOO MUCH HARD WORK
Out of 1855 Reasons the Financial Arg
unent Was observation-disclosures
Few Were Lonesome-Yet the In
dustry Thrives--Other Boys Like
II.

professor l.. II. Bailey, director OF
the college of agriculture at Cornell
university, has been trying to ascer-
tain why boys leave the farm The re-
suit of his investigations is printed in
the July issue of the Century maya
zine.
Professor Bailey addressed letters
to students Of Cornell who were born
in the country asking each whether he
had been reared on d farm; where;
whether he intended following some
other business than farming, and
why. OF 1856 replies from students
who are leaving the farm Professor
Bailey groups all the reasons under
four heads: "a the question Of
financial rewards. (2) the question of
physical labor, (3) social and intel
lectual ideals, (4) miscellaneous
Ihandicaps.
Sixty-two stuuents said that farm
ing does not pay, twenty-six said
there is too much hard work and
seventeen said the hours are too long.
Twenty-six instanced the lack of so
cal advantages and fourteen gave as
a reason the better opportunity for
advancement elsewhere. Twenty
four had a natural bent for something
else and six reported that the paren-
tai influence was against farming.
One said that farming has little ex-
element, another that the farmer
cannot serve humanity, a fourth that
a farmer has no political advantages.
Three complained that the associa-
ton is with uncultivated people,
eleven that the work is too monoton-
Gus and fifteen expected to farm some
day latter making money in other
| business.")
Perhaps the fundamental error in
all these discussions lies in the as
sumption that the unwillingness of
farm-bred boys to remain on the farm
is not one of the natural phenomena
of American life. Nobody is aston
ished if a lawyers son refuses to he
come a lawyer, or if a doctors son
prefers some other profession, or if
minister's son finds no attraction in
| thc Jogy. Comparatively few bust
ness men have ever succeeded in
| bringing up their sons to carry on the
business. 1t is this spirit which
distinguishes American life from lie
caste life of India.
In an earlier period probably a
larger percentage of farm-bred boys
remained or the farm, but there
were fewer other occupations to turn
to. Their dissatisfaction was no less,
but their opportunities were limited
If leaving the farm is now more com
mon it is because there are fewer oh
structions 10 the circulation Of the
population.
But while farmers boys leave the
farm other peoples boys seem to
get back to the farm somehow. The
last census returns showed that the
number of farms HAD increased from
I1,449.073 in 1850 TO 5.739,657 in 1909
The increase in number of farms was
10 the increase in population as to
1873. While there was one farm in
1850 for every 16 persons of popula'
! ton. there was one in 1900 for every
las persons. The improved acreage
had increased in fifty years from
I113.O32,614 10 414,793,191 and the
total value of farms had advanced
from s3,967 ,343 $50 to $50, 514,00l,
S3S.
In spite of the aversion of farmers
boys toward farming, the industry it
self was never in higher favor. II
farmers boys will not farm there
seem to he other boys who will, and
thus the balance is maintained in one
way or another. Indeed it is more
than mainta ned, for in spite of the
exodus from farm to city We doubt il
there been another period in The
counuy'5 history when farming was
more popular than it is today or pos
sessed so many attractions to persons
mot surfei,el with a rural existence.