Missouri Farm Fuels. 425 



or more than 16 per ceut. of those who answered tlie question from the 

 needs viewpoint, are most important. Seventeen replies are to the effect 

 that the farmer's greatest problem is how to combat combinations that 

 are believed to fix prices for what he sells or buys. Thirteen correspond- 

 ents see a tendency toward too much style and extravagance in the farm 

 home. The middleman, "who produces nothing but sells much," must 

 be eliminated or at least have his powers greatly curtailed, ten farmer 

 correspondents believe. Nine name co-operation in buying and selling 

 and for mutual aid and protection in other ways as the greatest need. 

 Other replies of which there were more than one are as follows : 



Weather conditions, 7 ; how to keep the young people, and especially 

 the young men, on the farm, 7 ; better transportation and lower freight 

 rates, 11 ; the tariff, 7 ; the liquor question, 2 ; Hessian fly and other in- 

 sect pests, 7 ; soil washing, 2 ; overflows, 2 ; weeds and grass, 3 ; better 

 methods in selling farm products and buying supplies, 2; high wages, 

 4; marketing produce, 3; indebtedness, 2; w^ork, 2; indolence, 2; money 

 power, 2 ; high prices for food and clothing, 3 ; to increase production 

 per acre, 4 ; to study farming, 3 ; better education and more agricultural 

 science, 5 ; better methods of farming, 2 ; tenants, 2 ; less acres and more 

 intelligent cultivation, 3 ; better schools, 2. 



The following replies were also received, there being but one of each : 

 Social betterment, fence posts, knowledge and advantages of modern 

 conveniences, diversification, to make farm pay interest on its value, 

 to make enough above the cost of existence to pay the interest on watered 

 stocks in combines, to get nearer the final market price of products, 

 reduce need of help by scientific farming, means of holding products 

 until there is an active market, to produce more and better crops, seed 

 farms to grass and clover, willingness to pay more for help, R. F. D. 

 mail service, parcels post, w^ay to keep fresh meat in summer time, tiling, 

 timber, protection of timber, uniform price of farm produce above cost 

 of production, to keep up with the times, dwelling houses with modern 

 conveniences, good barns, sufficient capital, better machinery, smaller 

 farms, more cowpeas and clover, protection from local monopolies, stock 

 law, learn what is best adapted to both soil and market, fair interest on 

 investment over and above living, system, labor-saving machinery, more 

 silos and manure spreaders, stricter laws against speedmg autos, selec- 

 tion of best stock and crops for profit, knowing whore and how to 

 market products, graft, speculators, boards of trade, ignorance, organi- 

 zation and co-operation of commercial interests, cost of production, 

 money, raising scrub stock on high priced land, merchants, dishonest 



