284 CAMPBELL'S SOIL CULTURE MANUAL 



felt, not by those who lost at once but by all who are en- 

 gaged in production. A market once lost by demoraliza- 

 tion is hard to get back again. 



But in another way poor crops in a part of the area of 

 production has an evil effect over all the area. The farmer 

 is himself always a consumer. If he is prosperous he buys 

 things. And as he buys things he helps to keep off the 

 demand for the products of many others in other indus- 

 tries. Thus all become consumers and all propsper together. 

 But with some of the farmers reducing their expenditures 

 because of their temporary misfortunes by decreased yields, 

 the total of demand for all the ordinary things of life is 

 materially reduced. 



The true principle for the farmer is to strive to have 

 good average crops and have them steadily all the time, 

 and here it is that scientific soil culture plays its noble part. 

 The greatest thing that is possible for any state or any 

 nation or any section of country is to have assurance of 

 good crops every year. If this is done the price question 

 will soon adjust itself to conditions so that the market 

 problem is less and less one to cause worry to the farmer. 

 If there is a surplus, be it lr;*-ge or small, a place will be 

 found where it will be absorbed properly, and this once 

 established will remain permanently. Everyone will re- 

 joice in the good fortune of his neighbor. 



The real problem of prices and markets is that of how 

 to guard against the distressing ups and downs of crop 

 yields incident to the hit and miss style of farming which 

 is partly guess work. 



Scientific soil culture gets at the root of the problem. 

 It shows the way. It is directed toward making crops grow 

 where they were not before grown and also, and this is most 

 important of all, toward the making certain of good crop 



