xii AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION 



kept or. raised on the farm? If beef cattle, what breeds are desir- 

 able, and how shall they be handled? If milk is to be produced 

 as a chief farm enterprise, what breeds of dairy cattle shall be used? 

 What special care shall be taken in feeding and care of the herd; 

 and what practice shall be observed in handling milk? If sheep 

 or hogs are to be raised, questions of breed, feeding, shelter and 

 care are important. 



How shall all of the farm operations be correlated and the farm 

 managed in an efficient manner? What accounts shall be kept 

 in order to give necessary business information? What sort of a 

 home shall the farmer have? What things are essential in mak- 

 ing his home convenient, comfortable, and attractive? 



Finally, what relationships shall the farmer have with his neigh- 

 bors? What place shall he take with his fellow men in his com- 

 munity? What can he do to make his community a better place 

 in which to live? What can he do in cooperation with others to 

 make effective the various agencies of the open country that touch 

 the lives of rural people, as farmers' clubs, the school, the church, 

 and the recreation center? 



Each of these questions or problems resolves itself into smaller 

 ones. The larger ones are presented as a rule in single chapters, 

 the smaller ones are indicated in paragraphs. The form of assign- 

 ment of the particular problem is left to the teacher, but the 

 subject is indicated by chapter and paragraph headings. 



If a one-year or half-year course in high school, or a survey course 

 in a Smith-Hughes high school is given, the order of the subject 

 matter in the book may be followed. If home projects are de- 

 veloped, the particular parts of the book pertaining to the project 

 may be used. 



Although written primarily as a textbook it is the hope of 

 the author that the material presented will not be limited to 

 this field; but that it may prove worthwhile to the reader who 

 is interested in rural life, and may be of practical service to 

 those actually engaged in farming. 



Further information on any subject in the book may be obtained 



