Oxford Democrat., 1920-04-20
AMONG THE FARMERS.
"sPnED THE PL0w."
Economic Farm Study.

Farmers have, perhaps, been too prone
to take agriculture as matter Of course,
something that has grown up like Topsy /;
but 1t is subject to economic law like
any other calling.
In early days, at least, agriculture was
not business. Our forefathers did not
60 out into the forests to find or build q
business but to fin6 and build home.
They could not cell the crops raised or
transport then to market II they could
sell them. All they could do was to use
them In their immediate family, so they
limited and diversified their crops to
this use. They raised vegetables for
themselves. They raised bay and grain
for their stock, which In turn produced
dairy products for the family, and wool
for clothing. All worked. While the
man felled the forest, plowed the burnt
land and gathered the crops, the woman
cooked and churned, spun, wove and
made the clothing. Size of farm did not
matter, provided 1t furnished sustenance
for the family. A man and his wife did
not need much land for this purpose,
but little had to be added az each child
came along. Many of the men bad fore
sight, however, and got land while the
getting was good,-like the school agent
in the "Hoosier Schoolmaster," either
to settle son or dover daughter. So
It came about that q farm was a farm,
no matter what Its size. A man who
owned part of the world, no matter
how small, claimed the world owed him
living.
Now size plays quite a part in farm
life. A small farm can produce q good
income If planted to the right crop; but
1t must be situated In the right place.
A truck farm miles away from a city or
railroad is no good for the crops cannot
be marketed. Even a big farm 30 sit.
uated is at q disadvantage. There are
numerous and good farms, not more
than ten miles away from South Paris
and Norway, that are being abandoned
for this reason. These farms once sup
ported large families, but that was when
the owners only wanted q home, not a
business and an income. Perhaps good
roads and motor trucks may help out
these farms in the future, but at present
the sound of the farmer is not heard up
on them, the buildings are dropping
down and the fields growing up to scrub
pine or dwarf birch. So, to- day, IL o
man wishes to engage in agriculture be
must consider size and location.
There is limit in the matter of size.
A farm must not be either too large or
too small, but the greatest error lies In
the latter. As good authority as ever
lived In the State of Maine, Christopher
Gullop, said the economic limit to a
milk farm was twenty cows. That is,
the overhead charges of farm OF twenty
cows were little II any more than those of
q dairy of less number, SO that a dairy
man with the first number could pro-
duce milk at less cost than one with the
second number.
Now it is desirable to understand these
| facts because consumer has the right
to his product at the smallest price at
which 1t can be produced with q proper
return to the producer.
So far, all friction 10 production has
been between the producer and his help;
but there may come time when con.
sumers will organize to have products
produced economically, and that will be
the time when Greek meets Greek, for
about everybody Is In the last named
class.
What is true OF the milk business is
true of all the other lines Of agriculture;
and 1t is one Of the problems Of the pres
ent day farmer to produce his crops on
an economic basis, as we'll as to receive
adequate compensation for them. 1t is
true this may work hardship on small
producers but 1t is nothing more than
small operators In other kinds of busi-
ness have already met, and 1t may not be
desirable to put of the evil day longer
than is necessary.
AoUARIUs,