No. 4.] EVOLUTION OF AGRICULTURE. 245 



But, after all, the great story of agriculture has never yet 

 been written, and the world is waiting for it ; it is due the 

 myriads of farm-born men to have their story told by one 

 imbued with a lofty love for the theme. When written, it 

 will be found to be a story of the ages ; a story of heroism, 

 a story that will surpass in interest and importance the vic- 

 tories of the plumed knights of the ages of chivalry ; for it 

 will recount man's triumphs over nature, over heat and cold, 

 over storm and blast, over arid wastes and dismal fens, over 

 river floods and ocean encroachment. It will contain the 

 secret inspiration of the poet's dream, the essence of man's 

 richest thought, the scientist's deepest research, the secret of 

 supplying the world's mighty armies, the source for the re- 

 lief of famine-stricken lands and of the daily supplying of 

 great cities with food. It will reveal the secret how States 

 were founded and nations sustained. Why commerce has 

 flourished and merchants have grown rich. In fine, it will 

 furnish the grand background of all history with details too 

 long ignored by the superficial student. It will remove the 

 veil which too long has hidden from view the great mass of 

 the world's middle class of toilers, and tell us how they have 

 prospered when they could and sufiered when they must ; 

 how they have thought and planned and made progress as 

 they could, and forever delved that the world might live. 



In the evolution of the future such a work wall needs be 

 written, in order to supply the demand for a deeper study 

 into the hidden forces of the past ; then the eyes of the urlian 

 resident will be opened as never before to the importance of 

 an industry which, perchance, he has affected to despise 

 because he had failed to comprehend it. Then, too, the 

 world will learn to appreciate the farmer and applaud his 

 success, carried to fruition by continued patience and forti- 

 fied by the demonstrations of science. 



