Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-04

comparison and induction. To this
wonderful source of information is very
likely largely due the rapid develop
ment of rural economics In the last two
decades
Turn now to the population sched-
ule. The rural sociologist, we must re-
member, Is dependent upon as clean
cut an analysis of rural human popuIa-
ton as the rural economist possesses
in an analysis of the agricultural ami
NAL population. Does the rural sociolo-
gist, however, get this clean-cut analy-
sis in the population schedule and tabu-
lation? No. Speaking figuratively his
horses and mules are added together IN
one total, and this total Is diluted with
bees and goats"
According to the Census Bureau, the
actual farm population shrank in the
decade, 19l0-l920, a net loss of only
100000. In the five years between 1920
and 1925, the loss mot according to
estimate but by actual enumeration)
was 1852 ,601. That means an average
shrinkage of 452, 900 year. The Cen
sus Bureau states the loss in 1925 10
have been AL 900; in 1926, 649 900, and
N 1927 approximately 1913 900. In short,
the farms are losing more each year,
now, than they did in the 10 years from
1910 to 1920
~ x*
AS to the measure of the Calamity"
befallen the farmers alleged to be
proved by the annual decreases of their
number, there is reasonable Doubt as
to its being a misfortune at all to eX-
perience decrease in the number of
competitors in ones own line of produc-
ton. If all the farmers but, say 1000,
left the farm. what corner" the re-
remaining 1000 would have in supply
ing the demands of American consum-
ers! From 1910 to 1920 the city popu-
lation-the customers of farmers-in-
creased 712 times the rural increase.
That divergence Is likely to continue
until the farmers remaining on the
land will enjoy such monopoly that
they will attract back from industry
many OF their former competitors.
1t would be no sign of agricultural
prosperity, therefore, to note a rapid
1t required four hours of labor to pro-
duce bushel of wheat 1t was hard
labor too. Today bushel of wheat
requires less than 10 minutes Of labor.
Assuming that there were just enough
wheat raisers in 1860 to raise wheat
at the rate of bushel every four hours
OF work, now that 3 hours and so
minutes Of that labor Is unnecessary
what should Mr.. Agriculture do with
| MS idle time? Either produce ruinous
oVersupply or seek a job in the city
| industries at wages which look enticing
Formerly we had dirt farmers "-the
man with the hoe, as described by
Edwin Markham-but today, dirt farm
ers are superseded by the enchanted
farm engineer. Agriculture produces
more In proportion to its population
than the ~ times indicated to be the
advantage OF urban increase of popu-
lation since 1910.
Furthermore, agriculture now holds a
! Detter class than the hoe farmer" for,
according to the census report of 1920,
as matter of fact in most parts of
the United States, the hoe farmer is
rapidly passing into history. and his
place has already been taken by the
machine farmer The task of the ma
chine farmer requires quickness of eye,
! and quickness of response to change the
adjustment of the machine. In short,
the farm task has been shifted from the
back OF the peasant to the fingers and
eyes OF a farm engineer; for such we
may we'll term the machine farmer
Machine farming, therefore,
will compete more directly with urban
| occupations and the distinctive rural
mind will become more like the urban.
Under these conditions, 1t will
be reasonable to expect that there will
be less of a scramble of the farm youth
to leave the farm, and that there may
be some profitable Interchange OF popu-