SCHOOLS AND FARMING 



This is no idle statement. A study of the 

 factors involved will show that it is true. 

 To arrive at conclusions of any value, at 

 least three phases of rural life must be 

 studied: material and commercial prog- 

 ress ; social life ; and the schools. 



"The change in farming methods is one 

 of the marvels of the century. With for- 

 ests cleared and swamp lands redeemed, 

 the steam plow does the work of many men. 

 The soil is prepared, planted, cultivated, 

 and the harvest is gathered by machinery. 

 The sickle, the scythe, the cradle, and the 

 flail have given way to the mower, the self- 

 binder and header, and to the steam 

 thresher. The dairy, from milking to but- 

 ter-making, has become scientific. Chicken- 

 raising and stock-growing have become 

 matters of intelligence instead of chance. 

 Good roads, steam railways, interurbans, 

 rural routes and telephones, have all but 

 eliminated time and distance, and have 

 brought the farm into close touch with 

 everyday life in the commercial world. 

 Easy transportation and the knowledge of 

 market prices have brought the farmer a 

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