THE RURAL PROBLEM 39 



cific methods by which the needs and difficulties of 

 farmers may be met. While such a discussion is of the 

 utmost practical importance, it must be left to an- 

 other time or to another pen. The matter of most 

 immediate consequence is to discover if possible what 

 the farmer's problems are. We want first to map out, 

 as it were, the geography of the farmer's job. It is 

 recognized that a mere outline of the problem does not 

 get us very far with respect to what might be called 

 practical methods of farm improvement. Those prac- 

 tical methods, however, are pretty widely known among 

 farmers and there are whole libraries written about 

 them. What is more important just at this stage in the 

 development of our American agriculture is, first of all, 

 to get a picture of the entire problem, if we can, for 

 the reason that heretofore nearly all discussions of 

 agricultural questions have dealt with but a part of the 

 problem. Usually emphasis is placed upon greater 

 crops, or collective bargaining, or control of trans- 

 portation by the government, as if these were the chief 

 or even the sole methods of improvement, whereas we 

 can advance agriculture only as we develop system- 

 atically and constantly all along the line. Moreover, 

 the principal reason for writing this book is not to call 

 attention to detailed methods of procedure, but to cer- 

 tain large principles that need to be applied in a states- 

 manlike fashion; details will follow. It is therefore 

 hoped that this outline, fragmentary as it is, will serve 

 its purpose in laying before the reader the breadth, 

 the scope, and the significance of the farmer's problem. 

 These problems may be grouped somewhat as fol- 

 lows : 



