40 The State and the Farmer 



Now, farming in this country is not yet 

 adapted to the natural conditions of soil and 

 climate and market and other environmental 

 factors. In fact, we really do not yet know 

 what the soil factors are, if, indeed, we know 

 to any degree of accuracy what any local fac- 

 tors are. If some of our eastern farms have 

 changed from corn and wheat to hay, and if 

 they have not prospered under this change, 

 then it follows that they have not yet found 

 their proper adaptation. It is not at all strange 

 that this adaptation is lacking, since there has 

 been no means of putting the farmer into 

 touch with his own problem. Not one of the 

 older farmers was adapted to his environment 

 by the church or the school or by any other 

 educational or social agency. If he is now 

 adapted to the conditions in which he lives, it 

 is because of some accident of heredity or cir- 

 cumstance, or because of his native wit. We 

 can never adapt the business of the farm to its 

 conditions until we understand thoroughly 

 all the problems involved, and there has 

 been no serious effort to understand these 



