285 THE PROFESSION 



OF FARMING 



must be fed and the demand for the best food 

 increases daily; there is no limit to the possibil- 

 ities of his profession. 



But what is the farmer to do who has remote, 

 unsalable, perhaps exhausted land, and little cap- 

 ital? He thinks he cannot move nearer to the 

 city; his home, neighbors and associations are all 

 tied to the land adscripti glebae\ what shall 

 he do to get out of the rut and into better condi- 

 tions? 



If he is going behind year by year, he might 

 better move before all is gone. If he is "just 

 making a living," he can put the most of the farm 

 into pasture or into hay, or let it run wild in the 

 hope of a rise in land value, and specialize on his 

 orchard, or on berries, or on a few acres of fine 

 vegetables. He will not make any less than he 

 makes now, and he will find some hope for him- 

 self and give some hope to his boys. 



The most important thing to teach to-day is 

 how to make the greatest profit from the least 

 land. When the farmer has learned that, he will 

 have no cause to fear the absorption of farms 

 into large holdings. The value of the farm lies 



