FARMERS TO THE FRONT 89 



enousfh, and there is need here for reform. The 

 whole purpose of those who teach agriculture as a 

 science is, of course, to develop the scientific side of 

 the business, and to teach the farmers how to make 

 their land as productive as possible. This is well, 

 but it must be remembered that what the farmer 

 wants to produce is not crops, but money — or crops 

 as a means of getting money. His aim is, or should 

 be, to make his farm productive, but productive of 

 money. To this end he should practise the econo- 

 mies that other business men practise, making ex- 

 tensive use of machinery, keeping his soil in good 

 condition, studying the question of crops and their 

 rotation, observing the markets; in short, trying to 

 raise as big crops as possible are commendable, but, 

 after all these are done, there is something more 

 important. It is the profitable market. It is one 

 that, in justice to the farmer, ought not to be over- 

 looked by any of the teachers, speakers or experi- 

 menters. 



The only people who profit more from a large 

 crop than a small one are the consumers, railroad 

 men, middlemen, and the speculators. The railroads 

 charge as much for hauling a cheap bushel as a dear 

 one, and the more bushels there are the better it is 

 for them. The same way with the speculator and 

 middleman. Cheap and abundant wheat is quite as 

 profitable for speculative purposes as dear and scarce 

 wheat. The farmer's prosperity, on the other hand, 

 depends on both the price and the quantity. As the 



