Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-04-16
EAGLE RIVER, WISCONSIN, APRIL Is, 1925
THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH


likely to prove equally revolutionary.
Less than twenty years people spoke dlsparlngy
of rural isolation. 1t of the things President
Roosevets Rural Life Conference spent much time dis
cussing.
Today that isolation has been all but eliminated
good roads, rural free delivery automobiles trucks tele
phones monographs, motion pictures and radio. one
need not be much beyond youth to have witnessed the de-
veopment of the tractor and other power machinery Tor
farm use, well host OF bigger and better farm I'M
plements of all sorts.
Equipment for the home has kept equal pace. Twen-
ty years ago few farm homes were modernzed Now 1t
is possible to have Just modern homes in the open coun
try as in the cities.
All this mechanzation is changing the lives of the
people in their everyday work. in their amusements IN
their habits of thought in their standards OF living and
in their social and business relationships.
And the process has only just begun The next step
and it will be here before we reaze-is eectrfcatlon
of the farms.
What will be the effects Of such complete mechan-
zaton Already the results startling that it seems
safe to predict complete agriculture.
The first notable effect is in the changed habits of
thought Of the rural population and in their higher stan
dards of living Country people today look no dfefen
dress differently and think no differently from city
people. 1
They are organizing themselves into trade associa
tons for better production better financing and better
marketing-iust like manufacturers and merchants in
the cities They discussing business methods and
business efficiency in farming in exactly the same Ian
guage that city in their businesses Farmers are
feeling the urge get together to cooperate to
their interests In big organlzatonsus as other INDUS
triaists have been doing.
All this grows out of the mechanical order.
Not so many years ago the farm safe refuge
for the incompetent and inefficient, where if they chose
they could live frugal meager lives, be their bosses
and be independent.
That is almost impossible today. The pressure Of
modern e manifested in high taxes for public improve
mens and public welfare, is driving the incompetent of
the farm.
It is repetition of city experience in mechanization
Small craftsmen in the cities have been driven out OF
business by factories small tradesmen today being
forced the wall by chain stores and department stores
Thousands of farmers whose soil is too poor or too
rocky whose farms too sma or whose managerial
ability insufficient being driven out by the COM
petition of those better situated and migrating to the
cities
Consider potato growing for example. Just few
years ago anyone could small patch successfully
There was only the Deetle TO ilgn loaay tnere are no.
only beetles but leaf hoppers blight mosaic and dozen
other pests and diseases.
To cope with all these and cut costs of production
requires an expensive power sprayer modern planting
and digging machinery, special knowledge and on top OF
all these land thatis suitable for machine working.
Potato growing has been commerclalzed large
enough acreage must devoted the crop justify the
expense of equipment, and man on poor land using
odfashioned hand TOOLS can compete with the CONNER
cial grower.
What pests and machines are doing in potato culture
they have already done in the growing OF tree FRUITS and
similar changes coming in many other branches or
agriculture.
Carried to it's logical conclusion commercalzaton
of agriculture larger and better equipped farms
Here however, into widespread belief that big
farming is bad thing for the country Some say that
everyone should have farm he expresses desire Tor
Why farms instead of banks or grocery stores IS
not quite clear.
acres and some other to reached practical
expression when the states of Europe set up
into family units for distribution among the people. 1t
was popular the part of the poltclansthough
they hid their real reasons Thcy settled rural regions
are the great source of cannon fodder for war
These politicians talked about the evils of peasantry
while they laying the foundations for more hope
less peasanty coming years. when the land is divided
two or three times among heirs. For the time will come
when the farms in these countries will be like those
and Ireland where ninety cent are less than
an acre in size People living such small scraps OF land
are doomed to the of hand tools and the most meager
of livings.
But this must inevitably be the result of any legisla
tive system that attempts to crcumven the natural law
of development by providing piece of land for every
who wants
Such system provides human material for the ma
ona defense but it does not provide cheaper food for
the nation not build efficient national agri
culture Certainly it does not meet the ideals OF American
life
So regardless of the views of the theories who would
divide and subdvide the lands in this country we may
look upon the mechanzaon of agriculture with equanl
nifty for if we interpret it correctly 1T means
Larger and more efficient farm units; greater spec
iazation with carefully worked out seectve dverslflca
ton further development of machine methods OF prodQc
ton better farm management and reduction OF the
costs of production below anything yet known.
Along with this must come better and more closely
knit organization of the entire agricultural industry
with possible drift in quarters toward that hob
goblin of the serious thinkers, corporation farming.
goblin of the serious thinkers corporation farmlng-Ihe
Country Gentleman.