288 HOW TO LIVE IN THE COUNTRY 



of a skilled agriculturist, such as are being turned 

 out by our agricultural colleges. He shall have gen- 

 eral supervision of his neighbors, to bring about the 

 most economical and thorough methods of handling 

 soil and crops, coincident with profit. 



In other words, it is a combination of school and 

 work, very similar to what has been projected for 

 our common schools themselves. This teacher or 

 head of the system will attend to the marketing of 

 products and will steadily lead the way to independ- 

 ence, on a basis of good judgment. The arrange- 

 ment of the farms is such as to bring about a mutual 

 exchange of social courtesies, mutual helpfulness, with 

 games in common as well as work. There is the 

 germ here of a new style of country life which may 

 go much farther. 



Here are the figures; land, $400; buildings and 

 fences, $400; stock and teams, $300; and tools at 

 $100. The first year it is proposed to exempt these 

 purchasers from taxation. Beginning with the second 

 year they will be expected to return what has been 

 advanced to them, in ten yearly instalments. This 

 it is estimated can be easily done, from truck farming, 

 grass and grain growing, cattle and chickens. 



This colony system is fundamentally sound. Life 

 in the city is reduced to a comformity that makes it 

 nearly impossible for the individual to act by him- 

 self. When we undertake the dissolution of the con- 

 gested mass we are always met by the fact that 

 country life is unendurably lonesome. There is also 



