82 CHAPTERS IN RURAL PROGRESS 



then, be a most important phase of agricultural 

 education. 



It is quite possible for the individual farmer to 

 succeed admirably if he is equipped with a 

 sound training in the principles of production 

 and in farm management. But there are still 

 larger questions that farmers as a class must 

 meet if agriculture is to have its full success and 

 if the farmer himself is to occupy the social posi- 

 tion he ought to have. Agriculture is an in- 

 dustry among industries. Farmers are a class 

 among classes. As an industry, agriculture has 

 relations to other industries. It is subject to 

 economic laws. It involves something more 

 than growing and selling. The nature of the 

 market, railroad rates, effects of the tariff and 

 of taxation, are questions vital to agriculture. 

 So with the farmers socially considered. Their 

 opportunities for social life, their school facili- 

 ties, their church privileges, their associations 

 and organizations — all these are important 

 matters. So agricultural education will not 

 fail to call attention to these larger questions. 



The well-educated farmer will, then, be 

 trained in three lines of thought — first, that 

 which deals with the growth of products; 

 second, that which deals with the selling of 



