The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-03-19
COUNTRY'S
GREATEST PROBLEM
KEEPING THE PEOPLE ON THE
FARMS Is A VITAL PROB
LEM IN AMERICA
MODERN C0NVEN|ENcES WILL HELP
To this Great End, is the Opinion Of
Prof. n. C.. SoIberg-Engineering
viii Aid Agriculture

WIN VIa NHt Shish
The greatest problem that confronts
America at the present time is how
to devise a plan that will cause the
American farmer to remain on the
farm. The rate at which the farmer
and his sons and daughters leave the
farms and move into the cities Is
simply alarming. In fact it Is SO
alarming that great captains of In
dustry and statesmen have, from time
to time, set various movements on
foot, with the hope that some of them
would prove effective in checking the
exodus from the farm toward the
larger centers of population. The
greatest of all these movements was
the establishment Of the Land Grant
Colleges by the federal government.
These colleges were established for
the purpose; first to train the growing
generation in all lines of activity that
would enable them to become better
citizens, and more efficient farmers
and home builders than their fathers;
second, to assist as far as possible the
present farming population in adopt
ing new and better methods In all &C.
tivities hat would tend to improve the
condition of farm life.
Large forces of men all wei this
country have been at work for a num-
Der of years, delivering lectures on
stock raising and crop rotation, on
horticulture and fruit growing. Elk
periments along these and many other
lines Of activity that pertain to agri.
culture have been conducted by these
land grant colleges and bulletins have
been published and scattered broad
cast among the farmers, all for the
purpose of improving the condition
of farm life. The result has been
great, for these combined forces have
materially improved the economic con
ditions of the farmer. The more the
farmer has needed the advice given by
these experts, the greater and more
rapid have been the benefits derived.
Another of the great forces, that
has been inaugurated by the federal
government, and that has greatly i'm
proved the condition of farm life, is
the free rural mail delivery. Very
frequently a farmer living ten miles
out in the country gets the mail de-
livered at his home before a person
living four or five blocks from the city
post Office gets his mail delivered. The
recent adoption Of the parcel post
system has made the free rural mail
delivery more valuable than before.
Another force that has greatly tend.
ed to improve the condition of farm
life is the rural telephone system.
But, while all these forces have been
at work for many years and while the
economic gain among the farming
community is great; yet the exodus
from the farms towards the cities con-
tinues undated. In fact the financial
gain seems in most cases to advance
the day when the farmer can leave his
farm. Hence the reason for this cor
dition Of affairs must lie deeper down,
than any financial condition or any
condition whatsoever touched upon by
any of these agricultural forces up to
the present time.
For many years the writer has been
quietly observing the various forces
set In motion by the federal govern
ment as well as the forces set in mo-
ton by the great captains of industry
for the purpose Of assisting in improv-
ing the condition of farm life. He
has carefully observed the results OBJ
tanned and has come to the conclusion
that the reasons for the exodus from
the farm to the cities, do not depend
so much on economic or financial con-
ditions, as upon conditions incidental
to the home life. Further that the
only remedy, IL a remedy is possible.
consists in constructing a res'dence on
the farm, containing all the modern
co~nveniences the same as is possible
in a city home.
This is rather a delicate subject to
discuss. and it will undoubtedly meet
with some opposition. but 1t an not be
avoided If the best results are to be
obtained.
There is a vast number Of farms
throughout the central west, with
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