276 THE BUSINESS OF FABMING 



the real backbone of any nation, for it not only 

 reduces farming to a science, but leads to coopera- 

 tion that will uplift the business of farming, and 

 will lead to the elimination of the waste long prac- 

 ticed upon the farm. In fine, it means to any 

 nation that its people will be better fed, better 

 clothed, better housed, yea, will have a better life. 



More than one and one-third millions of immi- 

 grants came to our shores in the year 1913, and 

 nearly a million of these were males. Nearly one- 

 half of these men were farmers and farm laborers. 

 Yet less than two per cent, of these landed upon 

 the farm. The cities swallowed the remainder 

 and augmented their congestion of city workers. 

 If this condition continues to obtain in the future, 

 and the drifting of our own farming class con- 

 tinues towards the city, the labor and other prob- 

 lems of our cities and country districts will become 

 so acute that relief must be obtained in some way. 



The duty of the hour is to demonstrate that the 

 opportunity of the farm for home building and 

 better living, is as great as can be found in any 

 city. 



It is useless to longer sound the warnings of the 

 dangers that beset us. It is now time for action. 

 There must be some concerted action by and be- 

 tween national, state and city governments, rail- 

 roads, agricultural or other societies, towards the 

 putting into execution of some plan that will re- 

 store the equilibrium of proper population be- 

 tween cities and farm districts. 



We will never be able to keep all the boys and 

 girls upon the farm, yet if we show them the pos- 

 sibilities of the farm in all the lines of profit, home 



