4 The State and the Farmer 



lishment of institutions or agencies as state 

 stud farms that provide him with direct facili- 

 ties for improving his methods, and special 

 applications of general laws. It is only some 

 phases of the second class of governmental 

 interference that I propose to discuss in this 

 volume, although I suspect that some of the 

 general laws need rather radical overhauling, 

 if the farmer is to be dealt with in perfect 

 justice. My present theme is this: What is it 

 wise and legitimate for governments to do in 

 aid of the farmer, and how, in general, may it 

 be accomplished ? In developing the discus- 

 sion, all I hope to do is to establish a point of 

 view. The instances and examples are cited 

 as illustrations of what I mean to teach, rather 

 than as specific problems that I would here 

 work out. 



