THE FARMER'S MEANS OF ACQUIRING LAND 233 



important sources of income. It is a matter of common obser- 

 vation that the income of one man is often very much larger 

 than that of another. There are those who are much inclined 

 to attribute this to unfair dealing. The difference is due in a 

 great measure to the fact that some men have more sources 

 of income than others. 



There are four important sources of income : labor, managerial 

 activity, integrity, and capital. The man who depends upon 

 labor alone will have, as a rule, but a small income. It is when 

 ability as a manager and integrity as a man begin to yield their 

 income that the young man gets ahead rapidly. 



It has often been said, the first thousand dollars is the hardest 

 to accumulate. This is true because it must be saved almost 

 wholely from one source of income, labor. From this one 

 source of income must be provided food, clothing, and shelter 

 for the worker, before anything can be put aside as savings. 

 Add another important source of income and accumulation by 

 saving becomes easier. 



The importance of integrity as a source of income cannot 

 easily be overestimated. There are two ways of realizing 

 upon integrity. Most men are willing to assume a certain 

 amount of integrity on the part of young men. A young man 

 can sometimes take advantage of the fact and, by dishonest 

 actions, realize a small return once for all. It is not this method 

 of realizing upon one's stock of integrity that is to be dwelt 

 upon here. The way to derive an important financial return 

 from one's reputation for integrity is not to sell out but to 

 continually acquire more stock. 



Reputation for integrity gives the opportunity for the young 

 man with little capital to realize upon his managerial activity. 

 There are many owners of farms who, having grown old farming, 

 are willing to turn their entire capital over to the management 

 of a trustworthy young man. By working as a hired laborer on 

 a farm, a young man may establish such a reputation for 

 integrity that the owner of the farm will turn over the' entire 

 management of the farm and equipment to him as a tenant 

 instead of as a directed hireling. The writer knows cases where 



