FARMING AS A VOCATION 1 7 



this machine for our competitors in the Argentine Re- 

 public, India, or some other country where, with their 

 cheaper land or cheaper labor, they can undersell us, we 

 must find a still better machine or process and make 

 profits by using it before these competitors have learned 

 how. We must keep pace in intelligence with the fore- 

 most nations of the world. 



Many of our lands are losing their virgin productivity, 

 some of our fields are becoming infested with weeds, 

 and we must all follow the example of our best farmers 

 and set about building up our soils to a standard better 

 than their original fertility. We must learn newer and 

 better methods of field management and superior ways 

 of handling crops. We must find new crops' new uses 

 of old crops, and we must improve our staple crops. We 

 must improve our live stock and our methods of rearing 

 them. We must make the best possible use of dairy and 

 other animal products, and we must learn to condense 

 freights and market our produce to the best advantage; 

 and most important of all, we must learn to live well, and 

 to make for ourselves and our families the best that our 

 opportunities will afford. 



Farming is rising in the scale among vocations. 

 Farming is becoming established on a firmer basis; 

 many important facts are being discovered concerning 

 plants, animals and soils, and a great many mechanical 

 devices of value to the farmer are being constantly 

 developed. Plans of farm management are being so 

 perfected that farming is gradually being brought out 

 of the realm of mere drudgery. Farm organization is 

 being reduced to a scientific basis similar to engineering. 

 As our eyes are being trained to see the interesting 

 things of the farm, so our minds are being educated to 

 appreciate the basal facts of animal and plant growth. 

 And as our knowledge of the philosophy of farm man- 

 agement and of plant and animal production becomes 



