Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-12

follow naturally in his fathers footsteps
and take the farm when his sire passes
away.
But under present conditions, with the
man OF agriculture getting less than his
just deserts, the boy has not the proper
encouragement to follow his calling, and
wherever his means permit the father cdu-
Gates his son to other things, believing that
in almost any other line there is a greater
chance to amass that wealth which is es-
sential to a purchase Of the worlds com
forts.
Much to Learn.
Sometimes It is the farmers fault that
conditions are not better He has never
learned how to get the fullest return from
his land. Not less than 5000 farmers In
the south, for example, have lately ad-
mitted that they have much to learn about
farming. and are improving their products
I'm quantity and quality by adopting meth
DDS recommended by DIR. Knapp.
But It il not alone to the crops that the
attention OF the commission must be di-
rected. The farmer and his family, the
men, woman and children Of Agriculture
also need attention.
Many OF the farm houses of the nation
are old and poorly built. A large per
centage Of them went up before the laws
Of sanitation had come to be understood
as they are now, and in cases of lately
built farm houses the great cost of build
ing along modern lines in isolated districts
far from the points where material and
labor can be cheeply obtained has had the
effect Of forcing farmers to follow the
lines that long since should have been
abandoned.
The farmer must have a better house
for himself and his family. The commits
sion must decide on a proper model, and
then IT must tell how the cost Of building
it can be reduced to a minimum, so as to
be within the reach of all. Then, too, his
facilities for education and for social in
tercourse must be increased.
Living alone has kept many agriculture
lists from developing as they should.
Something in the very life begets tenden-
cles to taciturnity. The farmer is con-
stantly next to nature. In his long hours
Of thing the soil he gets so used to be-
ing alone that he comes to like II, and
thus gradually weans himself from that
frequent contact with his fellow man
which Is the very basis Of development.
The farmers facilities for selling his
crops, for buying his materials and for
borrowing when he needs TO, need to be
greatly improved.
CORRECTING Unjust Conditions.
Al the present time the farmer Is
largely at the mercy of the commission
merchant in the marketing OF his foods,
and he Is also in the power of the rail
road. Cases are frequent where magniti-
cent crops have failed to bring their just
rewards to their creators because exces-
sive freight charges, often discrimina
tory, have eaten up not only the profit
but often left the sender in the debt OF
the carrier.
Recent railroad legislation has beer
directed toward correcting this condition
and the development of the trolley sys
TEN of delivering the production of thu
farms has also become a factor. Farmi
adjacent to the big cities eventually will
send the bulk of their crops into towr
on swiftly moving freight trolleys at
big saving, and the movement to improv,
the waterways also points to a cheape
means Of carrying the crops.
The big rates of interest that have pu
many a farmer in the hands of the maj
who holds the mortgage on his farm hav,
got to come tumbling down, and tn
ystem Of borrowing for business pur
pOStS NC uOIc uluIt pl III INV VI III
way ccommodation is handled in tn
marts of trade in the cities.
Moreover, a way ought to be found b.
raising the profits of farming to make
possible for him to find more leisure 70
his children. so that they could develo
in other directions. Many a boy learn
to hate farming before he gets half wa,
to manhood because Of the excessiv
hours of work that his father has bee
compelled to exact of him.
In theory that life of the farmer shoul
be ideal. He lives a life in the open
next to nature. His farm is his own, hi
crops are in his own ground; it remain
only for his own skill and industry I
produce them and reap the rewards. II
ought to be independent, a virtual mon
arch, catering to those needs of the worl
that nothing can ever abolish.
Fact has been found to differ from tn
Ideal in this matter, however, and tn
farmer faces a constant battle. Uncl
Sam has done well to get behind him, an
the nation will back every effort to Civ
him deserved help.-Brooklyn Eagle.