O FARM DEVELOPMENT 



by the State for agricultural schools, and in turn they 

 may be, and are, more useful to their neighboring citi- 

 zens and to the State. 



The fact that, for every dollar the student spends for 

 his education, the State and the Nation pay another, puts 

 him in debt to the country; and he should show pro- 

 found gratitude by being a more successful, a more use- 

 ful and a more public-spirited citizen. Agriculture de- 

 mands the best exercise of both the brain and muscle of 

 the youth, and thus aids in building up strong character. 

 Agriculture should be fostered ; it should be aided to the 

 utmost so that our lands, growing in productiveness, and 

 the inherited and acquired character of our country peo- 

 ple may continue to be the enduring foundations of the 

 republic. 



Our statesmen and educators should co-operate in 

 devising a system of country life education which will 

 enable those who work the land to own it in farms of 

 family size. Though it might appear that the large estate 

 with transient or semi-peasant labor would produce food 

 and clothing for the Nation more cheaply than does the 

 family farm, folks are the land's supreme product; and 

 when the land is divided off into family farms, needing 

 only occasional outside help, the production per square 

 mile of farm homes and of high-type Americans is 

 greatly increased. 



The larger values per acre of farm lands, the larger 

 income per acre and per farm worker, the better invest- 

 ment in farm buildings, fences, machinery and live stock, 

 all being made possible and increased by modern dis- 

 covery, invention and organization, and the larger produc- 

 tion of better farm folks, make possible any reasonable 

 expenditure for education in country life subjects. The 

 system of schools outlined above will increase taxes on 

 land and on personal property. It will, however, take 

 off such a load of ignorance, of wasted opportunity, of 



