127 REASONABLE 



PROSPECTS 



has farmed ever since, he and his whole family 

 working like slaves, and they barely make a liv- 

 ing. Who can tell what made such a truly mirac- 

 ulous yield that one year? It is beyond the sub- 

 tlest science, evidently. I know dozens of cases 

 like these. Men who devote themselves to farm- 

 ing for years, who study every detail with the 

 greatest care, know that they never can tell, an 

 hour ahead of the actual harvesting of things, 

 what they will get. I wish it were not so. It 

 makes living a hard proposition, even if the land 

 was properly distributed, and all had a chance." 



This is all true of farming big acreage for lit- 

 tle crops. But before the chart and the compass 

 and steam came into use, the sailor had just such 

 risks as our farmer has now. He also was at the 

 mercy of the weather. 



Now, what are the risks of the farmer? Tor- 

 nadoes? A lumber business or a factory is 

 equally exposed to those. Drought or excessive 

 rains? Cultivation or irrigation protect against 

 the one, and trenching and draining against the 

 other. Insects and diseases? We know how to 

 combat those. Late frosts or early frosts? Hot 



