II 



Society and the Farmer 



I HAVE now tried to give my reader a 

 picture of some of the conditions con- 

 fronting the strictly rural society. Even this 

 brief sketch is sufficient, I think, to suggest 

 that the problems of this society are not agri- 

 cultural problems alone, nor even rural prob- 

 lems alone. All society must interest itself in 

 them. In particular, must the agents of society 

 — the various organisms or departments of 

 states and communities — extend their con- 

 structive work directly to the open country, 

 not only that the interests of the open country 

 may be advanced but that the welfare of society 

 itself may be safeguarded. 



I propose now to bring briefly and rapidly 

 before the reader a few of the ways in 

 which society, or the state, may exercise it- 

 self in this direction to advantage. I have 

 in mind society in general, — that is, all men 



(55) 



