HUMAN EFFORT A FACTOR IN PRODUCTION 17 



15. How long does it take to make a master-farmer? Explain 

 the process fully. Is it a trade, a profession, or a job ? 



16. How should this labor group be taught or trained in order 

 to get the most adequate labor supply at the minimum cost ? 



17. What is the relation of versatility of the laborer (i.e., famili- 

 arity with many kinds of farming) to progress in farming methods ? 

 Is this an argument against specialized agriculture ? 



18. Explain the co-operative demonstration work as a method of 

 securing a high quality of farm effort. 



19. Is the negro a labor element which is readily assimilated into 

 new methods of farming? Is he what might be called a " natural" 

 farmer ? What does that mean ? Does he use machinery effectively ? 

 get the scientific point of view ? work hard ? steadily ? 



20. Show how health conditions affect the quality of the rural 

 laborers ? How does the negro stand in this regard ? Are conditions 

 of rural health improving ? How ? 



21. Does the farm worker's state of mind have anything to do 

 with his efficiency? Would a feeling of security be a help? self- 

 respect? knowledge that increased efficiency would bring increased 

 pay ? Point out some others. 



22. Would five members of a given family running their farm 

 enterprise constitute a more or less efficient labor group than five 

 unrelated persons of equal strength and ability? Why? 



23. Can gangs of laborers be employed effectively in agriculture ? 

 Why ? More effectively in some types of agriculture than in others ? 

 Why ? Can gang work be made the basis of permanent labor organi- 

 zation in agriculture or used only for seasonal work? Explain the 

 economic importance of this factor. 



24. Does tenancy produce inefficient labor? How? Might it 

 be that the man was a tenant because he was inefficient instead of the 

 other order of cause and effect ? 



25. Are all farm owners efficient ? Are they likely to be stimulated 

 by the responsibilities of ownership ? May the tenant be responsible 

 for a larger business than the owner ? 



26. Would it be possible to introduce forms of labor association 

 which would bring about more effective labor conditions? Can 

 agricultural interests follow the pattern set by other industries ? 



27. During the war some European countries have provided that 

 farm labor must be pooled during harvest time, so that as soon as a 

 farmer has his own crop harvested he may be assigned to help others 

 whose work has not yet been finished. In America some so-called 

 civil-military plans of mobilizing high-school boys and city men to 

 work on farms during their respective rush seasons have been advo- 

 cated. Which of these plans appears to you to be the more feasible ? 



