THE CALL OF THE LAND 



there are periods in all lives when, for the 

 performing of some special task or the mas- 

 tering of some crisis, all else must be set 

 aside for a short time, but we must never 

 forget to resume the proper balance when 

 these periods are past. There are no lives 

 whose powers will not, in the long run, be 

 strengthened by making pleasure and labor 

 partners. 



I urge the vacation plan for farmers first 

 of all as the best way to broaden and enrich 

 farm life by teaching it to mingle the joys 

 of life with the labor; to learn by travel and 

 observation progressive ideas of comfort 

 and beauty in the home. 



But there is another side of this question 

 that is quite as important. I refer to sug- 

 gestions the farmer will gain by an outing 

 now and then as to improved methods in his 

 vocation. A lifetime spent in reading agri- 

 cultural papers may easily fail to give the 

 farmer the practical help that one summer 

 trip would bring. For years I had read of 

 irrigation. I supposed that I knew a great 

 deal about it. But when I saw farming 



114 



