Better farming, better business, better living. ROOSEVELT. 



At the head of all the sciences and arts, at the head of civiliza- 

 tion and progress, stands, not militarism, the science that kills, 

 not commerce, the art that accumulates wealth, but Agriculture, the 

 mother of all industry and the maintainer of human life. 



JAMES A. GAEFIELP. 



37. Why do we Farm? We are likely to overlook the 

 reason why more than one half of our people are farming. 

 We see a man rising early in the morning and driving 

 many miles to market, eager to sell his produce there ; we 

 see another man busily at work in the field ; we see large 

 barns and herds of cattle in many country places. What 

 does it all mean ? Why do we farm ? 



The main business of farming is to build the right kind of 

 a home. Of course, means must be provided for this, and 

 so farm operations must be gainful, but not necessarily as 

 an end in themselves. It is unfortunate for farmers to be 

 so interested in their work as to lose all taste for music, 

 books, art, and the beautiful in nature. An appreciation 

 of these things would greatly enrich their lives, and so 

 help the " main business " of farming. It is true that 

 one half of our people would starve if they were not fed 

 by the farmers, and it is well for the farmer to feel that 

 his work serves mankind as well as himself ; but all this 

 does not change the main issue of farming, that of home 

 building for the farmer and his family. 



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