488 Repokt op Faemees' Institutes 



ties for farming in tlie East. This is another evidence of the sta- 

 bilization of agriculture, as we have already pointed out. Farmers 

 are beginning to discover, furthermore, that the promising 

 opportunities advanced for certain types of agriculture are to be 

 taken with considerable limitations. Irrigation agriculture can 

 be practiced only to a limited extent. So far, the work of the irri- 

 gation farmer in the West has been difficult, and is likely to be- 

 come more so rather than the opposite. I am speaking, of course, 

 more especially of the general irrigation farmer, and not the 

 highly trained specialist, such as the orange grower, apple grower, 

 or fruit grower of the Northwest. 



It would seem that the best way in which to get a true perspec- 

 tive of the outlook for eastern farming is to endeavor to get a 

 view of some of the basic economic questions involved, and then 

 to note what some of the good farms in the eastern part of the 

 country are producing. There is still an abundance of available 

 agricultural land in the East, and there is considerable of it in 

 New York State. Unquestionably, if the great centers of indus- 

 try continue to grow, there will be more and more demand for 

 agricultural products. A great many of these products can 

 and should be supplied from nearby sources. There will always 

 be a limited demand for certain types of products, like vegetables, 

 but these need not be considered here. I am referring more espe- 

 cially to the staple things — butter, eggs, market milk, poultry, 

 potatoes, etc. 



Before looking toward the undertaking of any farming work 

 along these lines, it must be constantly borne in mind that no 

 fortunes are to be made in farming. A certain amount of inde- 

 pen'dence and a modest competence are about all that can be 

 expected. There is a great deal more in this matter, however, 

 than the mere question of independence and competence. There 

 are the broad and fundamental questions of the relation of agri- 

 culture and of life in the open country to the development of our 

 children. I 'do not believe it is as fully appreciated as it might 

 be that agriculture furnishes the material basis for civilization. 

 This is especially true of educational matters. It is a question 

 whether by any system or method of formal education children 

 confined to city houses, pavements, and city schools can be brought 



