The Washington herald., 1913-09-07

I riculture effort. The yield of France or
Denmark is so much per acre The
money result in America is much Per
man. Europe economies in land. The
! United States economies in men. Ger
many, let US say, grows twenty-eight
bushels of wheat to the acre. America,
figures look bad for this country. But
the figures, after all. are not conclusive.
AnuIS sis of Comparisons.
Ignoring the lack of opportunity of the
peasant farmers of Europe to acquire
the land they till, blessing which Is all
but universal in America, and ignoring
| the vast areas which there are titled in
the most scientific manner by large
landed propTietors, whose unlimited
means and pTincely style of living makes
the American farmers condition seem
humble in comparison, Mr.. Carver bases
his conclusion solely ON 4 comparison
between the prosperity of the American
farmer and If the tenanty of Europe.
which is held down by heavy rentals and
by every eXaction which a thrifty and
neartless landlord can impose. He says:
I'VE must look at the German farmer
i'll his home and at the American farmer
in his home And what do we see?
OpulenCe, almost. on the one hand, as
compared with poverty on the other.
The state OF our farmCrs-their houses,
barns, machinery, automobiles, tele-
pnOntS. ana so OIl-SnOWS IndI IlGN dft
the best farmers on earth. We have
learned TO farm in this country. Next,
We must apply sound business methods
to agriculture. 1t will be a difficult un-
dertaking."
Living in such luxury as Mr.. Carver
depicts, it scarcely would seem possible
that the American farmers condition
either needed TO be or could be improved.
but further on in his interview, Mr.. Car
yer says:
we are thinking out our work. The
farmer. We hope, will be shown how TO
improve his business methods. Further
more. he ought to live better. He and
his children should lind that it is prof
liable and desirable for them TO remain
where they are instead Of moving into
labor. sanitary surroundings. modern
schools, and recreation for his family
will do much toward keeping him in the
country and making him contented
American"
Need OF American Farmers.
1t would appear to the layman that II
in producing but twelve bushels TO the
acre to the Europeans twenty-eight
bushels, the American farmer lives in
opulrnce and the European farmer in
poverty, the American farmer already
is long on business methods employed in
in disposing of his meaGer yield and
ed in Is the art of producing more
bushels TO the acre. Mr.. Carver says:
1t was said formerly, I believe, that
it required 1900 acres to support an In
dian and his family with game. That
much land would give 16D white men
farms of 100 acres each. go the Indian
was driven out, not with guns. bun by
one Of the unrepealable laws of nature.
The productive life is a moral life. The
unprOduCtive life is an immoral life.
The unrepealable laws of nature TO
illustrate which Mr. Carver cites the one
Indian family and the 100 white families
living on the produce OF 5000 acres. is
equally applicable when comparing the
one family which 100 acres will support
by extensive" agriculture and the four
families it will support by applying
Intensive" agriculture. II the 'p:o-
ductive life is a moral life and the "un-
productive life" is an immoral life, the
immortality as between the Indian and
the extensive farmer and that be-
tween the extensive" and the "inten-