THE CRISIS IN AGRICULTURE 23 



tlie Federal Land Bank system wMdi was just 

 beginning its operations when the World War 

 began in Europe. 



WMle these surveys had given an impetus 

 to the movement for a national policy for 

 agricultural development, the results were piece- 

 meal and by no means fully rounded out into a 

 progressive program. The decade from 1910 to 

 1920 witnessed the development of many 

 national advances looking to a more stable agri- 

 culture, both in the Federal Government and 

 in the States. But the program of progress was 

 largely set aside when the United States en- 

 tered the war. 



Representation for agriculture in Congress 

 has been a matter of concern for several years 

 and the war served to intensify the feeling 

 among farmers that though their representa- 

 tives were disposed to give a fair consideration 

 to new proposals, when it came to a matter of 

 conflict, agricultural interests were likely to be 

 those last considered. During the war, there 

 occurred a succession of incidents which inten- 

 sified this feeling. Following the war, when the 

 first indications of a coming crisis were to be 

 noticed, agricultural leaders hastened time and 

 again to Washington with warnings and ap- 



