1 68 PRINCIPLES OF RURAL ECONOMICS 



harder, or that there be more of them in proportion to the land. 

 As to the first alternative, it is distinctly to be rejected because 

 there is not the least doubt that our farmers, on the average, work 

 too hard now, rather than not hard enough. Instead of advocat- 

 ing that they work harder in order to cultivate their farms more 

 intensively, we should rather advocate that they work less hard, 

 even if that should result in poorer cultivation, if that were the 

 only alternative. One serious need of rural life in America is 

 a little more leisure to read, to meet in social ways, to discuss 

 measures for rural improvement, and to organize for the promo- 

 tion of rural interests. This is not saying that there are no 

 drones in the country. There are doubtless men living on 

 farms, and ostensibly farming, who idle away their time ; but 

 most of them do not deserve the name of " farmer " any more 

 than the vendor of shoestrings deserves the name of " merchant." 

 The general rule is that real farmers work too hard, at least 

 with their bodies. There is little danger, however, of farmers 

 or any other class working too hard with their heads. 



Smaller farms. As to the possibility of securing more inten- 

 sity of cultivation by increasing the number of workers on farms, 

 this has fewer objections, but at most does not hold out very 

 alluring prospects. It means either smaller farms on the aver- 

 age, or a larger number of hired laborers on farms. It is not 

 improbable that smaller farms would, in some sections at least, 

 prove advantageous. In some sections farmers have been moved 

 by a speculative spirit to get more land than they were pre- 

 pared to farm efficiently. Hoping for a rise in the price of land, 

 or for a future increase of capital which would enable them to 

 stock the land properly, or planning to have land enough to di- 

 vide among their children, they have bought large farms when 

 they would have made more money, year by year, by buying 

 less land and stocking it and equipping it better. But it is very 

 easy to exaggerate this evil. In some sections of the country it 



