ANNUAL MEETING OHIO STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 65 



quite fortunate in having been able last September, to make tentative arrange- 

 ments with a man of national reputation to conduct a church and rural life 

 survey of the state this coming summer. If it is agreeable to all the church and 

 other interested organizations; and a conference to determine this has been 

 called for next Saturday, Dr. Warren H. Wilson, whom many of you heard at 

 the Rural Life meetings at the National Corn Show last winter will undertake, 

 with the support of his organization and any others that may be available, to 

 put in the field next summer a large force of men to determine with exactness 

 the conditions which exist in rural Ohio. 



The records of the State Board of Agriculture show that in more than a 

 fifth of the townships of the state there are unused churches and that in a much 

 larger number of townships the church attendance is not so good as it was 

 10 or 15 years ago. (See Figs. 22 and 23.) This being true, it seems very de- 

 sirable that we secure the assistance of a religious organization led by a finely 

 trained minister of administrative ability such as Dr. Wilson, and supported by 

 all the church and agricultural organizations of the state, to try to learn why 

 it is true and then to determine the means of turning the tide in the proper 

 direction. Let us hope that nothing will happen to prevent this church and rural 

 life survey being started the coming summer and that it will be but the begin- 

 ning of extensive surveys of this character to be made within our boundaries. 



PROFITABLE FARMING FUNDAMENTAL. 



But to turn again for a moment to the financial problem of the farm, for 

 we must all agree that much as a fine rural community is desired, there is no 

 possibility of developing such unless we have a stable financial condition on which 

 to found it. Is it going to be necessary to await the completion of all these 

 surveys before we can begin to be of financial assistance to the farmers? Is 

 there not something we can do in the meantime? We have no sympathy what- 

 ever with the pleas of those who would ask that the country boy and girl shall 

 stay on the farm exclusively for the sake of the farm, the rural community, 

 the state and the nation. While we would like to see every bright, honest boy 

 who has been reared on the farm have developed within him such a love for 

 the farm that he would remain there, surely you will all agree with me that 

 such boys cannot be expected to stay there unless they are convinced that life 

 there will be fuller for them, that it will have greater possibilities for them, 

 than elsewhere ; and surely you will all agree further that unless they can see 

 possibilities of at least a reasonable financial competence there, they will never as 

 a rule develop that feeling of love for the farm and the rural community which 

 is necessary to keep them there; that indeed they should not even be expected 

 to do so. What then, I say, can we do before the completion of these surveys 

 to help solve the financial difficulties of the farm? 



THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE WORK. 



In the first place, these surveys are further advanced than may be realized. 

 Tke statistical surveys, as you will remember, are many of them ready for use 

 right now. Indeed, some of them were used as long ago as 1910 in connection 

 with the state-wide study of alfalfa. Before spring Dr. Coffey will have avail- 

 able a report of his soil reconnaissance on the basis of which, and with the 

 advantage of special field instruction by him, field investigators may expect to 

 work quite accurately on problems in connection with which the soil is to be con- 

 sidered. 



For example, there is no reason whatever why a man should not start at 

 once on the basis of farmers' experience throughout the state, to determine the 



5 AD. BD. AGR. 



