The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1918-04-05
CHANGE IN THE
FARMERS LIFE
"Making a Living Idea Has De.
veIoped Into a Money
Making Fact"

A few years agO-and not so many
at that-most farmers were. satisfied
if they saw ahead of them the oppor-
tunity to make a fair living, a reason
able competence in their failing years,
and the,assurance of an existence for
their families. They worked hard,
and titled their acres with this end in
view. Honest struggle, earnest eff
fort and true conception of upright
manhood, together with the increas-
| ing knowledge that upon the fruits OF
their endeavor rested the structure of
the world, whose people had to be fed
| and maintained. Economy in method,
| improved conditions of working have
| added to the farmers possibilities, and
| today instead of being plOdder for
an existence, which his early training
| had bred into him, he has become the
| bulwark of the nation, and, as such,
has become elevated to a position
where his word and his work are rec
| OgniZed as the factors it was always
intended they should be. He is now
the man of business-of big business.
| He has forced an appreciation of his
work, and the true value has been
| placed upon it. The big men of the
country today are the farmers, who,
with business acumen and forensic
forethought are able to tell you-from
their books-what it costs to produce
a bushel of wheat or a pound of wool
| All of which is intended to prove
| that farming is business, as much
as banking or selling a suit of clothes
1t is an industrial business, with more
certain profits than accompany any
other line of trade. 1t is a manufac.
| turing enterprise, devoid of any of the
| dangers that the frills of fashions
| follies and desires force upon ordinary
pursuits. Food is something that all
must have and the farmer produces it
The cheaper it can be produced the less
will be the cost to the consumer. AnC
| this is one of the chief thoughts of the
| farmer. Within the memory of the
| ten-year-old hoy there have been i'm
provements in machinery, changes In
| methods. scientific discoveries of chem
icals as adapted TO agriculture, all OF
which have lessened cost of production
| and made possible the cultivation Of
increased acres. In some parts these
things have brought about more inten
Sified agriculture, growing heavier
crops on less acres. Improved machin
cry and demand for greater production
have led another class in search Of
! larger areas, where their ability may
tcope with the growing of a. greater
number of bushels. That is one of thu
reasons why Western Canada land.
have recently come into such demand
These, at from twenty to thirty dol
lars an acre, and producing the pro
digious crops that are claimed TO
them, have attracted thousands o
American settlers, while other thou
sands have gone out into the lands il
the Western states. But as to the Can
ada lands, there is this to say Of them
today they are cheap, and if they will
yield sufficient in one year to pay thu
cost of the entire purchase, why shOult
not there be demand. The countr.
is we'll settled, and settlement is in
creasing. AS evidence of the grOwtl
of the three Western Provinces int,
whose territories the Canadian Govern
ment invites settlers, recent report
show the following increases from 191
to 1917 inclusive:
L