The mirror., 1919-04-17
ROM a Southern exchange
we noticed an able article
by a professor of agricul-

Hdys66N we noticed an able article
HEFg$M1H by professor of agricul-
@2l ture connected with the
university. He. like many others
of studious turn of mind, has
been trying to satisfy his curiosity
as to the cause of our poverty and
unrest among what he terms in
telligent, hard working people. He
mentions England, Canada, Aus
tralia and the United States. In
these countries he claims are gath
cred good, strong, common sense,
hard working people. He claims
that their intellectual powers can
not be superseded, and with all
that there is much poverty pre-.
vailing. He tries to diagnose the
case and give the cause and remedy
for same.
In order to get foundation for
his work he procured interviews
with, or letters from, twenty-five
representative young bushes men
or professional men of the cities,
asking each one his opinion of the
matter. He thought by doing
this he would procure the mind of
the keen, intelligent city man. He
propounded to each some questions
for him to answer on the line of
farming. Among these twenty
five men, whose fathers we're rated
as well-to-do business men, he
found twenty-one that admitted
that they did not know thing
about it. A few said that farming
was not digni6ed enough for them,
that the farmer was a back num-
ber, that the small farmer had no
chance at all in the struggle with
the large and rich landowner, be-
sides the farm was no place for a
young man of intelligence; he
should be where he could 60 to
the theatre, picture shows and
other places of amusement which
goes with modern civilization, etc.
All seemed to be satisfied to re-
main penned up close in the large
cities; all admitted that the country
life was romantic but there was no
money in it for them.
Being asked if they did not think
that the strong, young, intellectual
men of the country ought to be
planning with the farmer, who is
not supposed to have great educa-
cation, helping him to solve prob
lens in the line of farming which
has not vet been satisfactorily
solved. They said: There is not
much to be solved. Just plow up
the ground, SOW the seed and let it
60 until it is ripe, that is all.'' No
great intelligence is required for
that. Being asked if they know
how to grow crops, or at least how
to prepare the ground and SOW the
crops, twenty admitted that they
knew nothing about it. Some said
there we're too many farmers now.
Being asked if more produce rails
ers were working our idle lands,
would it not be possible to have
our supplies come cheaper to us!
The reply was made by several
that the market would then be-
come glutted and prices would go
down to nothing. Being asked if
it would not be better for the poor
if the markets we're little glutted,
they could then get their supplies
at a lower rates They replied that
this would be the death blow to
the farmer. Being asked if the
farmer would not be equally bene-
fited by fall in prices, as if plenty
of wheat were raised, -four would
be made cheap which would also
benefit the farmer; sugar would
also come down in price by half
which would also benefit the far
mer2
The professor, after extracting
all the information he could get
from the city men, sums up the