Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-06-03
AMONG THE FARMERS.
"sPEED THE PLow."


Correspondence on practical Agricultural topic
In solicited. Address all communlcauons IN
tended for this department TO HENRY d
HAMMOND, Agricultural Editor Oxford Dem
ocrat. Paris. Ne.
The Farmer and the Community.
fLecture by Professor G. W. Stephens, Wednes
day, March, 9th, in the Farmers Week Course.)
Professor Stephens began his lecture
by referring to the difference De-
twe cen the life of a century ago and that
of to-day. A century ago the farmer
was what might be called small scale
farmer, his farms were small In area and
bis operations were on q small scale.
Another difference was the absence OF
transportation century ago.. Steam
was only in its beginning, therefore
there was an absence of large manufac-
turing plants, such as We have to-day.
Our industries to-day are OF specialized
nature and the farming to-day Is q spe-
cialized pursuit. Agriculture depends
upon transportation facilities, banking,
manufacturing, etc. There is q great
interdependence between different coun'
tries as one country is dependent upon
the other for some product. An H.
lustration of this point was the strike
which threatened France about two
years ago, when the men on the rail-
roads threatened to 60 on strike that
would cause great suffering In the more
remote districts of France; also the
dock strike which occurred in England
a short time ago when the English gov
ernment felt that 1t might be necessary
to call the militia to handle the freight
unless the strike was settled. Professor
Stephens spoke of the mutual depend
ence between the farm and the city. The
farmer may be independent In relation
to nature herself but Is dependent upon
the city for marketing and selling ms
products; also he is dependent upon the
city for finances to raise and move bis
crops. The high cost of living may be
due to three factors: 1st, increasing
population of the country-no country
exists where the population is not In.
creasing; 2ud, the area Of land for food
production is limited, as the population
increases the area Of land Is not increas-
ing, this means the average acre OF land
must produce more in order to keep pace
with the increase in populations; Sd,
the growth of extravaganza, especially
within the last 20 years, the call for lux
ury by the American people Is very
great, social unrest Ia another point
which is the result of this extravaganza,
which is shown among the lower classes
in Germany and in France. Also there
is a general unrest among the Americans
much more so than people imagine.
Agriculture Is the only extractive In.
dustry which Is self-sustaining. By an
extractive industry Professor Stephens
explained that he meant an industry
which dealt with the raw product. We
have such industries as obtaining oil and
coal from the earth which might be
termed extractive but they are not sell.
sustaining. 1t may not be long before
both of these products will be exhausted
and we will have to depend upon some
thing else as substitute.
The farmer Is the poorest business
man we have to-day. The reasons for
this may be summed up as follows: 1st,
the farmer is not concerned with compe-
tition among the different farmers.
This is a factor which the average
farmer neglects. In other industries
for instance the retail grocer-there is
much competition which must be con;
sidered. On the other hand the farmer
is working against millions OF farmers in
other parts Of the country, which he
does not realize. 2nd, the bounties
which Providence has poured upon the
farm. The farmer does not realize that
in such sections of the western part OF
the United States and Canada whore the
soil is virgin, that he has had bounties
poured upon him. Sd, characteristic ma
ture of city business. 4th, individualism
of the farm.
Professor Stephens spoke OF the social
interdependence of the city and the
country. The men who are the best
products of the farm are used at the
present day in the city. This may be
due to the fact that the people and their
descendants In the city are becoming
poorer in vitality, and that one genera
tion after another decreases In vitality
until finally, without some outside in
fluence, the best men OF the city would
be utterly incompetent to carry on the
problems which confront them. Anoth-
or point in favor of transferring the best
from the country into the city is the fact
that many city people do not have many
children, and therefore we are facing
the problem of furnishing the children
from the farm for the city.
Another thing which tends to de-
crease the number of children In the city
is the recent movement against the use
of child labor In the factories. There is
another factor which must be reckOned
with in city life, that ia the number Of
people pursuing unproductive work in
the city. 1t is factor which Is condu-
Give to the development Of immortality
among the masses of the city. The
drift Of the youth of the present day and
of the past has been toward the city,
which may be due to the greater attrac-
ton for making large fortunes, and OF
the glitter and sttractiveness of the re-
creation in the city.
In closing Professor Stephens said to
compete with the city the farmer should
give more attention to social problems
in the country. He should make the
country attractive to the youth and
there will be no trouble in keeping the
youpg people upon the farm.