2/0 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE, 



conviction tiiat the application of the lessons enforced at these 

 sessions may be made of enduring benefit to everyone ; that 

 cooperation with nature will insure better crops ; that the fail- 

 ure to reach the maximum is ours, not the lands ; that in the 

 range of live stock there is no class which will not return a 

 steadily increasing profit to him who seeks to grow daily into 

 a better knowledge of essential principles of breeding, selec- 

 tion and care ; that in well-organized acres there are possibili- 

 ties not yet realized. 



There will be no room for the slipshod man in the economy 

 of 1917. There /i- room and a big, big call for live, earnest, 

 faithful, energetic, appreciative men who believe something 

 so completely that they are ready to prove it by good work. 

 To such there is no failure. My advice for years has been : 

 Stay away from the farm if you are seeking an easy road to 

 prosperity; come to the farm if you are ready to work both 

 brain and hands and are determined to win out in the struggle. 

 This is the requirement elsewhere and the farm is no exception. 



I believe in the well-located small farm for the small family, 

 seeking the simple life as the gateway to health, comfort, in- 

 creased vitality, satisfaction, freedom from care and a royal 

 support. I believe in the small farm for him who, out of his 

 own toil, seeks that dominion which will insure substantial re- 

 turns. I believe in the small farm for the small family seek- 

 ing true enjoyment in life and the companionship of kindred 

 souls. I believe in the small farm because of the obligation 

 it imposes for specialized work and concentration of purpose. 

 I believe in the small farm because it forces one to organize 

 action, increase efficiency, systematize labor, test all seeds and 

 products and minimize time, waste and expenditure. I believe 

 in the small farm in that it forces a man to think, to do, to 

 reach out, to achieve what on larger farms are not thought 

 necessary. 



I believe that through forced concentration, upon restricted 

 areas, the New England farmer is yet to come to a fuller real- 

 ization of the possibilities, the certainties, the profits of New 

 England soil. I believe most profoundly in the big farm for 

 the big farmer, the large family, the abundant crew ; but for 

 the shut-in man. in town or city, who longs for God's fresh 

 air and sunshine, and is ready to do his part faithfully, I pro- 

 pose "the little farm well tilled and the little wife well willed" 

 as promising joy. satisfaction and fullness of life. 



