4 AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



of industry. These men who talk of " luck " and who are not 

 willing to attribute to brain and brawn the success of their 

 neighbors, may well draw a lesson from the following story, 

 related by Pliny, the ancient writer already quoted : 



" C. Furius Chresimus, a freedman, having found himself 

 able, from a very small piece of land, to raise far more abun- 

 dant harvests than his neighbors could from the largest farms, 

 became the object of very considerable jealousy among them, 

 and was accordingly accused of enticing away the crops of 

 others by the practice of sorcery. Upon this, a day was named 

 for his trial. Apprehensive of being condemned, when the 

 question came to be put to the vote among the tribes, he had 

 all his implements of husbandry brought into the Forum to- 

 gether with his farm servants, robust, well-conditioned, and 

 well-clad people. The iron tools were of first-rate quality, 

 the mattocks were stout and strong, the plowshares ponderous 

 and substantial, and the oxen sleek and in prime condition. 

 When all this had been done, ' Here, Roman citizens,' said he, 

 ' are my implements of magic ; but it is impossible for me to 

 exhibit to your view, or to bring into this Forum, those mid- 

 night toils of mine, those early watchings, those sweats, and 

 those fatigues.' Upon this, by the unanimous voice of the 

 people, he was immediately acquitted." 



It is highly desirable to emphasize the importance of strenuous 

 mental and physical effort in winning success in farming. The 

 element of uncertainty should not be underrated, for this is 

 one of the characteristics of farming ; but it should be remem- 

 bered that as a rule the chance element is more or less equal 

 in a given community, and at a given time, for all those who are 

 competing for high rank as farmers. The big differences are 

 due to differences in the farmers themselves, in their alertness 

 and in the quality of their muscles and their minds. The more 

 rational farmers are usually willing to admit that the unusual 

 degree of success attained by one of their number is the result 

 of hard work, clear thinking, and skillful management. These 

 more intelligent farmers are coming to recognize that there are 

 fundamental economic principles which, when carefully followed, 



