The Mena weekly star., 1921-05-26
What's s To Become
 Of That Boy?
tBy J. W. Middleton, Vocational
 Agricultural Instructor).

Agricultural Instructor).
 This is an important question that confronts every father and mother, but to none is it so vital as to the farmers of Polk county.
 In making a careful survey of the farms of certain district in the county there is found to be an average of three boys to every family. That there will be at least three times as many families within the next twenty years as now exist, is almost assured. Where are they going to live, and what are they going to do for liv- ing? is the question that naturally confronts US now. Many people will dismiss the query concerning the fu- ture with the statement: T am going to give my boy business education, and then he can go to the city and secure a good job There is nothing for him on the farm any more"
 It seems that, with six million men tramping the country without any visible means of support, many of them skilled in the different trades and professions, and most of them veterans in the game of life, and only the best of the tried and experienced being employed in any of the indus tries, it is "a mighty slim chance" for the boy from the farm to cast his lot with this vast army. Especially when this throng is being augmented at the rate of one million year from the discontented masses of Europe and Asia.
 Therefore, it stands to reason, Mir. Farmer, that if your boy is to have an even break it will have to be at home under conditions that are familiar to him.
 How am I to do this ? you may ask. There was time. as the "old settler" can remember, when Arkansas was a vast area of free homestead land. Then the father could move into val ley, file on a claim, and as fast as the boys became of age locate them on land adjoining the old home. But that time has past. Tn fact the old home has been divided and subdivided until today there are many farms in this county that are of forty acres or less. Now what is the man with one of these small farms and from two to four boys to do? He might figure on securing land from his neighbor, but his neighbor would, in all probability, be in the same shape as he. He might make tramps out the boys, which will likely be the case if they are turned away from the farm under the condi- tions that are prevailing at the pres ent time, thing. no father wishes to do. There is only one of three things that he can do: Let the boy drift and become a parasite, attempt to train him to compete in some profes- sional line, where things are already over-crowded, or train him to be a first class farmer and divide the forty acres with him.
 The question then is how are three or four families to live on forty acres when it has only produced enough for one in the past. Then acres must be made to produce what forty has been producing, and this is thing that all the real farmers are hoping to do. Nevertheless, a few men have said that it is not a question of more ''stuff," but of how to dispose of what is produced. This, in the fact that more than fifteen cars of potatoes and more than hundred cars of feed stuff, such as hay, oats, chops, etc., have been shipped into this country within the last six months. It is not question of sales but a question of greater production, and this problem will soon be solved in part with the functioning of the different agricul- tural organizations, and an awakened class of farmers turnout the country.
 The next article will be on "How to Make the Boy Love the Farm"