THE PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED. 5 



tion, an unceasing battle with Nature, and a 

 gradual relapse, intellectually, to the level of 

 other farmers good men, perhaps, but dull- 

 witted in all matters not connected with crops 

 and stock. My friends predicted that a year or 

 two of farming would result either in the loss 

 of all interest in literature, science, and art, or 

 I would become heartily sick of country life and 

 eager to get back to town at any cost. I would 

 find, they said, that books and magazines lost 

 their interest after a day's work in the fields ; 

 that gradually there would be less talk about 

 art and music, and more about corn and calves. 

 The life of hard physical labor would end in 

 blunting the intellectual perceptions. I recog- 

 nize perfectly the existence of such dangers, 

 and that is one reason why I should no more 

 think of ordinary farm life for myself than I 

 should undertake to compete with an Irish la- 

 borer in the raising of potatoes for market. The 

 question resolved itself into this: Is there an 

 occupation, or are there occupations, in which 

 a fairly intelligent man, willing to work, can 

 make a living in the country without resorting 

 to the exhausting labor of the farm, for which 

 he is physically unfitted? I determined to 

 make experiments. 



