The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-09-05
Crop Improvement
Are You Proud of Your
County-Why7
BETTER MARKETING
Scientific Production Not So
-, Important as Economical
,%l. Distribution. ,1si,,s
THE THREE FUNDAMENTALS.
The Farm Problem as a Unit; The
Farm Itself as Unit; The Farm
as Part of the Community.

National Crop Improvement Servce.l
After having organized his various
township groups and obtained the
GO operation Of all existing organi
cations, the work which the county
agriculturist may do would include
At least three important phases.
First, the t6hsideration Of specific
farm problems, whether of farm crops
or of animals and animal products.
Second, the consideration of the farm
as a unit. Third, the consideration
of the community as a unit.
Up to date the emphasis Of extern
sion work has probably been on the
first division and that of increas-
ing the yields. But one of the dis
tinguishing features of modern agri-
culture is the dependence of the
farmer upon the market, and one of
the greatest weaknesses of modern
farming j. its lack of adaptation to
the complex marketing conditions.
Here then Is a great field for the
work of district supervisors and the
county agriculturist. We will need
many careful Investigations of mar
keting conditions in the different To-
calities for specific products and of
marketing conditions for the farm
taken as unit and in its relation to
the community. An effort should be
made to control marketing condi-
| tons; with reference to the elimina-
ton of waste and Standardization Of
products; to securing for the farmer
fairer share of the price the con-
sumer pays; and for helping the con-
! sumner to obtain the products of the
farm more directly. The county agri-
culturist will want to continue the eff
forts to increase yields both by his
own advice or by securing specialist
to help him, but he will also see that
his work for the special crop is only
half done when he has looked after
yields and then will turn his atten-
ton to markets where again we are
beginning to develop specialists.
The Farm Manager.
The second division of his work
will be the consideration of the farm
as a unit. Here he will be on COM
paratively new ground and will pro-
ceed slowly and carefully, making
Investigations into the most profit
able types of farming The focus OF
his attention will be not upon the
yields of particular crop, but upon
the largest net income for the farm
as a whole. OF the four factors in
production, management is the crucial
one.
No Robinson Crusoe Methods.
But we cannot stop even with the
successful manager. To stop here
would be at once to emphasize both
the strongest and weakest point ir
the character of the American farmer
namely, his strong individualism ant
independence. Such characteristics
are very valuable and we would moi
try to destroy an iota of the farmers
independent spirit and self-reliance
which are largely the result of thc
training his occupation has giver
him. But the conditions of success.
full farming have changed and the
self-sufficing era has passed. Thf
farmer now produces not merely
enough for himself and his family
but largely for market and from
that market he buys many of the ne
cessities and some of the luxuries o.
life. In other words, whether he will
or not he is dependent upon Others
for his highest success; he is mem
Der of complex organic relationship
we call society. To-day the mos
successful farm cannot exist in an un
organized and indifferent community
The success of modern farm de
pends as much upon the kind of com
munity in which it is located as i
does upon the nature of the soil O.
the individuality of the manager.