No. 4.] COMMERCIAL PLANT FOOD. 



53 



Commercial. Plaxt Food. 



BY I'KOF. X- H. JOKDAN, GENEVA, N. Y. 



The American farmer is complaining of hard times. He 

 declares that the prices at which he is now al)le to sell his 

 products return to him no profits, or at least those which 

 are inadequate for supporting him and his family in a de- 

 sirable manner. The experiences of the recent election 

 show also that the agriculturist is inclined to attribute his 

 lack of prosperity to causes which lie largely outside of his 

 own direction. Moreover, he appears to be convinced that 

 he can remedy the unfortunate conditions which surround 

 him through legislation affecting either the tarift* or the 

 financial methods of the country ; and, in cherishing the 

 false delusion that legislation is the chief factor in determin- 

 ing business conditions, he forgets to carefully analyze those 

 other factors of success which are under his own control. 

 While he certainly is rash who declares that he is able to 

 point out all of the complex causes which afiect the farmer's 

 business, and while we must confess that some of these are 

 social rather than individual, a large and important part 

 relates to the methods and activities which prevail on the 

 farm. 



This important fact should l)e considered in connection 

 with another; viz., that there is little likelihood of our re- 

 turning to the prices for agricultural products which during 

 the last half-century have been regarded by the producers of 

 grain, meat and dairy products as satisfactory ; and in ex- 

 pressing this view I am in accord Avilh many who have 

 given this matter careful consideration. It seems almost 

 certain that the farmer must in the future adapt himself 

 somehow to a much lower scale of prices than has ruled 

 since the close of the w'ar. AVhile we do not expect that 



