INTRODUCTION 



THE present world crisis has suddenly transposed 

 the farmer from his former modest and humble posi- 

 tion into the ranks of our foremost national figures. 

 To-day the services of the tiller of the land are at 

 a premium. The heroes of the day are not only 

 those who can shoulder a gun at the front, but also 

 those who can produce the food necessary to feed the 

 great civil and military armies in the field and at 

 home. It is to the credit of the American people 

 that they have realized that intelligent farming re- 

 quires as much skill, thought, and energy as is re- 

 quired to build up industries or to formulate laws of 

 government. 



Of the many phases of agriculture, trucking be- 

 longs to the highest forms of intensified farming. 

 Whether it is conducted on a large or on a small 

 scale, it requires a thorough knowledge of plant life. 

 An intelligent understanding of crop rotation is 

 essential for success. Someone has well said that 

 the farmer may be judged intellectually by the system 

 of rotation which he practices. Great skill is also 

 required to keep the land in a state of production 

 during the greater part of the year. This is espe- 

 cially true for our Southern States. As a whole, 



