Newark post., 1915-06-23

that have had more to do with
popular education than is gener-
ally supposed-are tremendously
interested in rural welfare. AL
most every country weekly devotes
full page to discussion of local
farm problems. The great dailies
from our large cities print whole
sections of agricultural material.
4 There are vast numbers of peri
odicals of all type which devote
part or all of their space to agri-
cultural writings. Although much
of this journalism is impractical
inaplicable, and biased, it never
theless denotes that the farm is
indeed in the limelight.
Undoubtedly the most important
agency which has been deeply in
terested in the farmer is our ma
tional Congress. In 1862 the Nor
rill bill was passed establishing
agricultural colleges. After these
colleges were organized and a few
students gathered together the
learned professors in charge found
as they sometimes do today, that
they knew nothing to teach SO,
to enable these respected seers to
retire gracefully from their en-
barrassing predicmaent Congress
III 1887 passed the Hatch bill, es-
tablishing Agricultural Expert
ment Stations. And you must re-
alize the incolculable value of the
facts which these stations have ac-
cumulated and demonstrated. In
addition to this, Congress in 1914
passed the Smith-Lever bill, which
provides for agricultural extern
sion-the taking Of the most appli-
cable knowledge directly to the
farmer.
"Is it possible that all these and
other agencies have misdirected
their efforts on a transient fad?
What is the intrinsic value Of agri-
culture that makes it so popular?
"One reason for this widespread
interest is this: the farmer must
feed the people. Only an infinit-
esmal portion of the national food
supply comes from any other
source than the farm. For a long
time our population has been in
creasing rapidly-both by natural
excess of births over deaths and
by immigration. During the lat
ter half of the nineteenth century
the matter of feeding the pOpula-
tion presented no problem. In the
West there were immense areas of
fertile land which had not been
touched, and the lands in the East
still continued to yield abundantly.
Now this is changed. Nearly all
the land within our boundaries fit
for farming has been brought
under cultivation. In general in
stead of the productivity of our
land being increased the fertility
has been depleted. The farmer
has failed to realize his RESPONSE
bility to society and has followed
narrow selfish policy. Thus the
question of feeding the ever in
creasing population resolves it.
self into question of increasing
the yields of our farms.
What may be said of the food
} supply may be said with nearly
equal force of the clothing supply
may be said with nearly equal
force of the clothing supply. The
farm produces nearly all of our
, raw materials for clothing-wool,
! cotton, hemp and hides. The cot
ton boil weevil and other pests
> have threatened to undermine our
cotton industry. The breaking up
of the ranches and the various
sheep enemies have threatened
our woolen industry. These in
dustries must be reinstated or we
shall be forced to depend, as also
in the case of food supply upon
E imported goods.
Then, there is another reason
not usually considered; that is
the country must furnish the cit
les with men. John M. Gillette
says that approximately Is per
cent of the city growth is drawn
directly from the rural regions. A
study of the figures presented in
our national census reveals many
startling facts. The death rate of
children under years is so per
cent higher in the cities than in
the country; the general death
rate is about As per cent higher in
the city than in the country; NOR
tality per thousand from our COM
} mon es-tuberculosis, pneu-
monia, typhoid-is far less in the
country than in the city; the coun-
try, although it possesses one-half