THE HUMAN BASIS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION 109 



and figures will certainly fall short of the possible results. One 

 who follows his own taste, regardless of economic results, may 

 temporarily get more personal satisfaction, but will make a less 

 productive use of the land. From the national point of view, 

 such a one is an undesirable kind of farmer in this one respect 

 at least, and in the long run will be eliminated by competitive 

 forces. The high-type farmer coolly acts in conformity with 

 economic forces, regarding it as his duty to himself, his family, 

 and his country to make the right use of the agencies of production 

 and to deal honestly and fairly with all men. It is not always 

 easy to be fair-minded in a transaction with a rascal, but even 

 here the emotions should not lead a man to lose control of him- 

 self and let the spirit of revenge have supremacy over rational 

 judgment. Self-control is essential to the mastery of economic 

 forces. 



Ability to hold one's mind on one's work is essential to doing 

 the work well. The good workman who enjoys his work has 

 no trouble on this score, but the lazy timeserver usually allows 

 his mind to wander and his tongue to clatter, which insure in- 

 efficiency of the employee and his associates, whereas the man 

 with his mind on his work adjusts his operations to changed 

 conditions when needed and is in a position to improve methods. 

 There is no place on the farm for the former, but the latter 

 makes farming a joy to himself and his associates. 



Ability to work to schedule is sometimes called the " time 

 sense." Even among men with the work habit who enjoy 

 their work, some know how to keep pace with time and turn off 

 the work, while some do not. Men with the " time sense " 

 will start the milking at the same time each day and finish the 

 task without a variation of more than two or three per cent 

 in the amount of time required. In plowing a field the man with 

 the time sense turns off a day's work each day. He knows 

 how many furrows he must plow in order to accomplish the 

 amount he deems a day's work. He knows how much he must 

 do each hour, and as the railway engineer watches his schedule, 

 so does the good workman sense the pace required to accom- 

 plish a day's work. This is not so simple a task for the farmer 



