264 AUTOBIOGRAPHY 



than once, I have nevertheless travelled a good 

 deal for a busy man of limited means. I have 

 lectured at various times in twenty-three of the 

 States and in three provinces of Canada; I have 

 travelled in nearly every State of the Union for 

 the specific purpose of becoming acquainted with 

 American agriculture. With this object in view 

 I have crossed the continent seven times, made six 

 trips through the Southern States, and many 

 shorter journeys throughout the New England and 

 Middle States. 



Even from the car window I could often tell 

 whether the farmers of a given district were receiv- 

 ing an adequate return for their labor and it was 

 not very difficult to surmise the principal causes of 

 failure. The two factors which always stand out 

 prominently when one is studying agriculture at 

 large, are the productive power of the land and 

 the exact knowledge of farming possessed by those 

 who till it. If vast areas of land which now bring 

 but a meagre return to those who till them were 

 thrown out of cultivation and re-forested there 

 would be great gain not only to the individual but 

 to the community as well. An average yield of 

 two-fifths of a bale of cotton per acre (200 

 pounds) cannot provide a fair living for those 



