24 THE FARMER OF TO-MORROW 



He looks once, he looks twice, he dashes 

 across the pasture lot to Neighbor Jones, who 

 is polishing off a new automobile in the sun- 

 shine. Jeremiah explodes with the direful 

 tidings. 



He is bankrupt! Farmer Jones is bank- 

 rupt! Everybody is bankrupt! They ought 

 to be in the hands of a conservator, or at 

 least a receiver. And Farmer Jones who 

 has been there a long time looks at Jeremiah, 

 once, twice, and then says honk! honk! with 

 his new horn. 



But there it is in black and white. Look 

 back a few paragraphs and figure it out for 

 yourself, in rent, labor, and taxes. Never 

 mind the salary for the superintendent who 

 was to risk and manage so much capital. Cut 

 out the five cents an hour that was to go to 

 Mary. In bare time it has cost Jeremiah from 

 seven to nine dollars an acre to sow, cultivate, 

 harvest, and haul his corn. Add the item of 

 interest. Then bring on the tax bills. Jere- 

 miah sells his corn at the market, the price 

 of hunger, the price with which his neighbors 

 buy automobiles. And for every acre of food 

 he has manufactured, he stands an actual loss. 



If he doesn't pay rent that is, interest on 



