46 AGRICULTURAL ORGANISATION 



American rural life. In his letter of instructions to the 

 members of this commission Mr. Roosevelt said : 



In the United States . . . the farmers in general are better off 

 to-day than they ever were before. . . . But practically the 

 whole of this effort has hitherto been directed towards the 

 increasing of crops. Our attention has been concentrated almost 

 exclusively on getting better farming. . . . Agriculture is not the 

 whole of country life. The great rural interests are human 

 interests, and good crops are of little value to farmers unless they 

 open the door to a good kind of life on the farm. 



This problem of country life is in the truest sense a national 

 problem. . . . The farmers have hitherto had less than their full 

 share of attention along the lines of business and social life. 

 There is too much belief among all our people that the prizes of 

 life lie away from the farm. I am, therefore, anxious to bring 

 before the people of the United States the question of securing 

 better business and better living on the farm, whether by co- 

 operation between farmers for buying, selling and borrowing, by 

 promoting social advantages and opportunities in the country, 

 or by other legitimate means that will help to make country life 

 more gainful, more attractive, and fuller of opportunities, 

 pleasures and rewards for the men, women and children on the 

 farms. 



Among the recommendations made in their report by the 

 members of the commission was one that " Before all 

 things an efficient movement in favour of co-operation among 

 the farmers is to be desired, to put them in a position to 

 sustain the struggle against the other economic classes they 

 have business relations with." 



On the question of co-operative agricultural credit mention 

 has already been made of the fact that hitherto little advance 

 has been made in the United States ; but there is gratifying 

 evidence that the financial interests there are preparing to 

 recognise more fully the claims of agriculture to their own 

 encouragement and support, the subject of " Agricultural 

 Development and Education," introduced by Mr. George 

 E. Allen, educational director of the American Institute of 

 Banking, having been one of the matters discussed at a con- 

 vention of the New York State Bankers' Association held at 

 Buffalo on June I3th and I4th, 1912. 



In anticipation of this discussion, and in view of the 



