Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-13
FARMERS SHOULD
| KNOW ECONOMICS,
SAYS DR.. COOPER
Understanding of Business
Fundamentals Held Aid
to Success.
POOR RETURNS TERMED
CAUSE OF MIGRATION
Urban Centers Draw 100000 a
Year From Agricultural
Areas, He Declares.

BY THOMAS n. HENRY.
Is the American farmer gradually be-
coming a peasant instead of an indie
pendent proprietor? Can education dc
anything to help the rural population
In the grip of the industrial revolution?
These two questions were raised be-
fore the annual conference on agricul-
tural and home economics education at
the Wardman Park Hotel yesterday by
! william John Cooper. new commits
sioner of education.
There now Is migration from the
farms to the cities of nearly 100000
persons year, DIR. Cooper said, and the
! poor returns of the farmer on his in
! vested capital and his almost negligible
wages have been advanced as an ex-
PLANTATION. It Is essential he said, to
! teach the farmer the basic principles
| of business and give him clear idea OF
the economic forces with which he Is
contending. Something can be ac-
! complished, DR.. Cooper indicated, by a
more general understanding OF rural
| sociology.
Raisin Situation Cited.
| As an example OF the kind of situa-
| ton the farmer encounters, DR.. Cooper
cited the case of the raisin growers OF
| California who now are close to ruin.
They were producing limited amount
| OF a product which was practically
luxury. With prohibition came a
| sudden. heavy demand for raisins and
- 1%~k sny@ saw
| fortunes ahead. drew their savings from
the banks to buy more land. and in
! vested in costly equipment. Then the
demand for raisins fell. The product
became a glut on the market and the
banks foreclosed the mortgages
A clearer understanding OF economic
! forces. he said. might have prevented
this. He stressed that the industrial
revolution. which already has trans
formed industry from great number
of scattered independent establishments
to few great businesses. Is transform
ing rapidly the retail business and has
Just started to lay Its hands on the
farmer. If the farmer can be shown
his true position In this drift. he said,
he will be in better position to save
his independence.
With the population becoming chiefly
urban. he insisted. the family income
now chiefly is in terms OF money. and
little in terms of stock and garden prod
uce. which makes necessary OF much
stricter budgeting system. DR.. Cooper
urged surveys to find out the extent to
which machinery is used In the home.
Research Program Described.
The Bureau OF Home Economics of
the Department of Agriculture now has
before it an extensive program OF re-
search, DR.. Louise Stanley. chief of the
bureau, told the educators. Dietary
studies. she said, are being made in all
the children's institutions here, and new
foods analysed for, vitamin content.
The investigators have just found that
watermelons are good source of vita
min A and studies now are under way
with reindeer meat. Some time ago, she
said, the bureau had investigated the
food value of rice polishings. which are
discarded as waste by the mills. with
the idea that they might be cheap
source of anti-pellagra vitamin. They
found this waste was rich In other food
qualities.
The entire vitamin food table. Dr.
Stanley said, Is being revised, and she
advocated the extension of the work to
products, which recently has become
significant in dietetic studies. There
Is now very little definite information
on this subject.
The bureau now Is engaged. she said.
in an intensive study of why sheets
wear out.
Laundry Greatest Wear Factor.
The greatest factor of wear DR..
Stanley, said. appears to be in Laundering
A batch of sheets now Is being made
especially for the bureau. with every
operation followed from the picking of
the cotton. These will be placed in
hotel where they will be in use con-
stantly and the wear studied.
long series of tests is underway of
the effect of various foods on rats,
especially in the light Of their vitamin
content. When completed these will be
illustrated with photographs showing
the physical condition of the rats. This
shes said, involves some delicate points
since manufacturers of the foods shown
to be valueless are sure to dispute the
findings
The bureau now Is trying to lift part
OF the burden of mothers. she said.
by devising child garments so simple
that the children can dress and undress
themselves at an early age. The aim.
DR.. Stanley pointed out, is simplicity
and usefulness rather than good looks.
Such garments, she believes, will in
crease the self-reliance OF the child.
This work Is being carried on in CO.
operation with the staff of the Wash
ington Child Research Center.
A special Department of Agriculture
committee. composed mostly of men,
DR.. Stanley explained, now Is engaged
with the bureau In testing the pala-
liability and tenderness of legs of lamb
from different parts of the country
| and grown under various conditions
The meat is cooked in the Bureau of
Home Economics kitchen and Judged
by eating. Already hundreds of tests
have been made. It is planned to ex-