LECTURES AND ESSAYS. 431 



COMPETITION. 



The natural result of this is competition, and to such an extent has 

 competition increased that it is today the most efficient spur to business 

 activity. It had revolutionized business methods, necessitated the introduc- 

 tion of comprehensive systems of management in every branch; with an 

 attention to small details never before thought of. Attention has been 

 turned to waste products, and in many instances the utilization of these 

 waste products returns the sole profit of the business. 



The systems of business in manufacturing and commercial houses are 

 marvelous in their completeness, and on the maintenance of these perfect 

 systems which regard no detail as too small to receive attention does success 

 depend. Competition in all the products of the farm is active, and it exerts 

 the same tendency toward low prices that is shown in other industries. 

 Its influence is all-pervading, and can not be evaded. Now what is the 

 offect of sharp competition upon the manufacturer? Is he discouraged, 

 ready to sit down and give up? Not at all. It spurs him into activity to 

 produce a better article or to lessen cost of his present product. 



The farmers of Michigan may draw a useful lesson from the manufac- 

 turer. Do not let low prices act as a discouragement, but as an incentive to 

 the production of larger crops of better quality. The farmer cannot afford 

 to sit down, content with what he has done, and, Micawber-like, wait for 

 something to turn up. Competition, which has brought prices down, will 

 prevent any great fluctuation, unless in the event of some great social or 

 political upheaval, and this we have no reason to expect. The remedy lies 

 in the direction of the better developmentor improvement of farm methods, 

 the introduction of business principles, in the bringing of all the varied 

 farm operations under a comprehensive system, which will secure the same 

 attention to details that is so potent a factor in the success of the manufac- 

 turer. 



The directions in which improvements in farm operations can be made are 

 numerous; it is not my purpose to enumerate them, but to call your atten- 

 tion to one line, in which there seems to me to be great possibilities. 



THE SELECTION" AND BREEDING OF FARM SEEDS. 



The question of seed is one that must recur to every farmer as the 

 seasons roll round. It is an important one, and it does not seem to have 

 received that attention which its importance demands. A great deal of 

 money has been expended in improving breeds of cattle, horses, sheep and 

 swine. Seedsmen, nurserymen and florists have spared neither labor nor 

 money in the breeding and improvement of vegetables, fruits and flowers, 

 but the improvement of farm crops through attention to the seed has been 

 neglected. Experiments have been conducted that have clearly shown what 

 could be done in this direction, but no systematic effort has been persisted 

 in. That some farmers do take considerable pains with their seed, that 

 some even practice selection, I do not doubt; but I do not believe the prac- 

 tice to be general, or we would see better crops, and the averages per acre 

 would certainly be higher. From all I can learn from inquiry and observa- 

 tion, the general practice of seed saving is careless in the extreme, and 

 tends constantly toward the deterioration of those qualities which make 



