No. 4.] THE AGRICULTURAL SITUATION. 83 



down to New York, and in talking with him about these 

 questions he said : ' ' You are confronted with the same 

 struggle for better understanding that I am. I am tripped 

 all the time, because I do not understand the situation." 

 Well, now, that is what I meant by " ignorance." I do not 

 believe we disagree if we clearly understand each other. 

 But more and more as I grow older I say to myself, ' ' Deeper 

 study into the economies of farming, to prevent waste." 

 My friend on the right (Mr. French) has given us a grand 

 account of his stewardship, and long may he live ! 



Mr. Richards. I want to endorse what Governor Hoard 

 has said in regard to ignorance. I most certainly think that 

 is the trouble with the farmers. My two friends here both 

 confess that in the past they could make money upon the 

 farm, but they say they cannot do it to-day. The hour has 

 passed for them. When they were young men they could 

 say to the help, "Come, boys, let's go to work." To-day 

 it is, " Go, boys, and do the work." The balance is against 

 them. My friends, I think that in all the vocations of life 

 nine out of ten of the people are following the wrong pur- 

 suit. Nine-tenths of the farmers are farmers simply because 

 their grandfathers or fathers were farmers, not because it is 

 the vocation they are best fitted to follow. It is only because 

 it is a convenient vocation, that is all. Suppose a factory 

 were started in my town of Marshfield, proposing to employ 

 a thousand men. I venture to say that ninety-nine out of 

 every hundred of the boys would get into that factory if they 

 could, without regard to the question whether they' are fitted 

 to the vocation they are trying to adopt. I think, with 

 Governor Hoard, that it is ignorance that is at the bottom 

 of all these things. We do not cudgel our brains enough. 

 I do not do much in raising squashes. I made a mistake in 

 trying to do it this year, and have had to buy them for 

 my family. The worms killed the squashes. I found that 

 if I had investigated the subject a little further I should 

 have learned how to kill the worms. I think a great many 

 of the difficulties we encounter are wholly due to ignorance, 

 and it would be better for agriculture if half the farmers 

 were following some other business. 



Professor Bailey. The last speaker has brought up a 



