CAMPBELL'S SOIL CULTURE MANUAL 19 



CHAPTER III. 



3 



THE IDEAL FARMER. 



One of the principles long followed in educational 

 work is that the man who is well educated with a mind, 

 under good discipline, is fitted for almost any sphere in 

 life. In recent years this theory has received some rude 

 shocks, and school men are finding out that the man 

 who is really educated is one who has some specialty in 

 which he is better than others. Therefore specialization 

 has become the rule in schools and colleges and in all walks 

 of life. The man who tries to be a good minister and a 

 good lawyer at the same time is no more found. Neither 

 do men try to be at once a blacksmith, a plumber and a 

 shoemaker. 



So it is in agriculture men have found that it pays 

 to learn all about the subject. Just because one is schooled 

 in many books or has been successful in trade or a pro- 

 fession is not sufficient to qualify him for farming. He 

 must know his subject and know it well. And at the 

 basis of his science lies knowledge of the soil and its char- 

 acter and possibilities. 



But the farmer must have a well trained mind. He 

 must be keen, of perception and broad-minded. He must 

 be studious and keep abreast with the times. He should 

 take farm magazines' and read farm books. He ought 

 also to have the daily papers at hand, and know what is 

 going on in the world. All these things will give him power 

 to reason. But above all else, he must have adaptability. 



