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oncoming farmers when the nation begins to draft married 

 men in non-essential industries. 



Farmers Are Resourceful 



Farming is a continuous struggle against the vicissitudes 

 of nature. Down the ages farmers have been forced to adjust 

 themselves to countless changing conditions unknown to the 

 man on the assembly line or to most other city folks. The 

 ability of the farmer to get work done under adverse weather 

 conditions, shortages of labor, and the like is so commonplace 

 that it is rarely appreciated. In the future as in the past the 

 consumer can depend upon the versatility and perseverance 

 of the farmer and his family to meet most of the emergencies 

 as they arise. 



Under the deferment program, the labor problem on the 

 typical family farm, which produces most of the nation's food 

 supply, will not be serious except at the peak of the harvest 

 season. Even at that time the extra help needed is only a 

 small proportion of the total labor required to plant and 

 harvest the crop. 



Farm Machinery 



During the past sixty years the importance of farm ma- 

 chinery has mounted rapidly. In 1880 farm machinery repre- 

 sented 3.3 per cent of the total capital invested in our agri- 

 cultural plant. Since that time the importance of machinery 

 has increased at an increasing rate, and by 1940 farm ma- 

 chinery represented over 7 per cent of the capital. 



Formerly crops were planted, cultivated, and harvested 

 largely by human labor. The only other power was one or 

 two teams of horses. The number of plows and the size of 

 the grain binder were determined by the amount of horse- 

 power that could be used efficiently with these tools. The 

 number of hours per day that the tools could be operated 



