AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



himself with everything which will acid to the 

 dignity and beauty of his home. 



But if these beautiful surroundings 'are to be 

 created they must first be desired by the farmers, 

 and it will certainly be admitted that the desire for 

 food, clothing, and shelter naturally and properly 

 come first and should be satisfied before much 

 attention is given to the creation of beautiful 

 surroundings; and, again, to enjoy the beautiful 

 surroundings, one must have leisure, and in order 

 to have time, after satisfying the more urgent 

 wants, to create and enjoy beautiful surround- 

 ings, it is important that the farmer avail himself 

 of the most economical means of satisfying these 

 wants. We object, therefore, to the general 

 principle laid down by Mr. Kerrick, that farmers 

 everywhere should "think first and work first to 

 provide for their wants on their own farms," 

 rather than to look primarily to the production of 

 those things which will give them the greatest 

 purchasing power in the market. We believe the 

 latter method to be the one which will bring the 

 largest means of satisfying wants for a given 

 amount of exertion, whereas, Mr. Kerrick's sug- 

 gestion points towards a reversion to the self- 

 sufficing economy of earlier times, and to a sacri- 

 fice of much of the benefit which has resulted 

 from the extension of commerce and from spe- 

 cialization in industry. 



There are, doubtless, many injustices in the 

 46 



