52 N. H. Agr. Experiment Station [Bulletin 275 



Accumulated Skill 



The differences resulting from variations in skill and interest are 

 accumulative. The good manager who has some skill and is interested 

 gradually secures better crop production and increases the quality of 

 the dairy herd; and as the farm becomes more productive and the herd 

 develops in capacity, the man grows in ability and experience in oper- 

 ating a better farm and in managing high quality stock. This pro- 

 vides the opportunity to build up the output of the farm and to ex- 

 tend and develop the interest, skill and capacity of the man. 



Thus, in several instances the present position of the dairyman re- 

 sults from 20 or more years of careful planning and continuous efforts 

 toward a definite objective. The skills and interest acquired, together 

 with the accimmlation of physical factors in the form of a better farm 

 and better cows, make a combination which the ordinaiy beginner or 

 the uninterested man cannot now approach. 



Some of the younger men are now in the process of acquiring the 

 skill and experience in getting together and developing the factors of 

 production that, given a reasonable break, should eventually result in 

 a high degree of dairy fami success. Unfortunately, others are accu- 

 mulating neither skill nor physical assets, and unless they give more 

 thought and take more interest in the fann can never get together the 

 combination that will enable them to succeed. 



It is to be noted that the children, as they take their fathers' places, 

 have the opportunity to begin about where the father leaves off. The 

 children of skilled dairymen have had the opportunity to become 

 skilled and interested in good cows, to learn how to grow crops effi- 

 ciently; and if they inherit their parents' accumulation of physical 

 assets already well arranged for production, they are able to start 

 fairly well up the ladder. On the other hand, the children of the drift- 

 ing farmers are handicapped in opportunities of acquiring skill and 

 worthwhile experience and in gaining interest and ambition. 



Granted that skill, knowledge, interest and planning ability of the 

 operators account for much of the variation in output per man, pro- 

 duction per cow and other factors, it may be futile to discuss the 

 problem unless something can be done about it. 



How may all the dairymeji in the community become more skilled? 

 How may they gain a fuller knowledge of farming? How can they 

 become interested in their special work and more ambitious to build 

 a better farm business? How may they develop more ability in plan- 

 ning the work and directing labor? These are questions difficult to 

 answer, and yet they are of great importance to the community. 



A community grows in skill and develops special knowledge very 

 slowly. Then, of course, each individual is different, and all are lim- 

 ited by inheritance in the extent to which they can develop any par- 

 ticular characteristic or ability. Dr. Kirtly ]\Iather recently stated 

 that each man's development is bounded by a circle of definite inheri- 

 tance, but that few men have made much jirogress in filling the circle 

 of their inherited possibilities. This seems to be very true in the case 

 of the daiiymcn. Some men are falling short of their capacity. 



Probably the best place for acquiring skill is the farm which is op- 

 eiated by a veiy skilled dairjaiian with good cows. If all the young 



