298 THE FARMER AND THE NEW DAY 



between agriculture and other industries within the 

 nation ; 



(b) To purchase our food supply in the lowest market and 

 pay for it with manufactured goods; 

 The policy chosen should be determined by the best 

 interest of the country as a whole. 



3. Individually, the farm should provide its workers with as 

 good a living and as good an opportunity for development 

 and should open as many important avenues of public 

 recognition as any other calling. 



4. The guiding principle should be to establish and maintain 

 such farming conditions as will best serve the interest of 

 society as a whole. Agriculture should receive a fair re- 

 ward. The other classes of society should not be com- 

 pelled to pay too high a price for food and clothing. 



5. In formulating a policy the sociological aspect should be 

 kept always in view. Life is primarily spiritual, intel- 

 lectual, social and economic. 



II. Production 



1. The basis of encouragement of agricultural production 

 should rest on an adequate remuneration for the farmer, 

 based on the cost of production plus a fair insurance against 

 seasonal risks. 



2. The independence of the farm operator should be insured 

 either by giving him easy opportunity to own the land he 

 operates or by safeguarding his investment in improve- 

 ments, encouraging longer tenure and better farm practice, 



and conserving soil fertility by judicious legislation re- 

 garding tenant right. 



3. Credit. The farmer's credit facilities should be enlarged 

 by: 



(a) Better facilities for short time credit on a national 

 basis; (and perhaps) 



(b) A system of banks, specifically agricultural, to deal 

 with farm credit requirements as our present system 

 deals chiefly with urban credit needs; 



