178 THE BUSINESS OF FABMING 



Extensive farming fosters greed and avarice, 

 and when these sins get possession of the exten- 

 sive farmer, he drives his soil to the limit of its 

 production of the crops that exhaust the soil of its 

 fertility. He is content with the small profit per 

 acre, and, to fill his coffers, extends his acreage, 

 waxes rich, and though his soil is dying for want 

 of soil food, yet he whips it on to its task of pro- 

 duction of the crops he can sell for money. 



The invention and use of improved farm ma- 

 chinery will lead to the pillage of the soil unless it 

 be operated by men imbued with the true theory 

 of soil maintenance, so if it does not become the 

 main object of the business of farming to train 

 men along the lines of promoting soil fertility and 

 a permanent agriculture, improved farm machin- 

 ery in the end availeth nothing. 



If it be true as some claim that we have reached 

 the age of the "Dawn of Plenty" on account of 

 the invention and use of improved farm machin- 

 ery, we can not hope to maintain that delightful 

 state where every man, woman and child go to 

 bed every night fed with enough food to satisfy, 

 unless we maintain the fertility of the soil, for we 

 no longer have the new lands in abundance. The 

 lands that have been farmed for a generation or 

 more must mainly feed us or we perish, and they 

 will never feed us unless they are farmed with 

 different methods than they have been in the past. 

 The method by which they have been farmed has 

 led to the great loss of soil fertility, and if con- 

 tinued, will lead to the complete loss of soil fer- 

 tility. 



If the United States has had a plethora of farm 



