40 American Economic Association [838 



fact that the farm work of the present day calls for a 

 great amount of work not demanded by the business of 

 farming as followed in earlier years. 



The matter of change in the character of farm work 

 has made it very difficult for any one, from ordinary ob- 

 servation alone, to judge rightly of the effect of ma- 

 chine power on labor. Even so eminent an authority 

 on agricultural conditions as Professor Davenport, of 

 the University of Illinois, has been misled into thinking 

 that the labor power supplanted by machinery is offset 

 by the demand for labor in new lines of farm work. In 

 his testimony before the Industrial Commission he stat- 

 ed: " The introduction of machinery has vastly extend- 

 ed agricultural operations. It has extended the acreage 

 under cultivation, and has increased the amount of labor 

 bestowed upon the land per acre. I do not think it has 

 decreased the number of men or the total employment 

 of man power on the lands of the country." l 



It is barely possible that Professor Davenport and the 

 members of the Industrial Commission who examined 

 him, had reference to the absolute and not to the rela- 

 tive number of workers. If such was the case then all 

 that can be said is that Professor Davenport and the 

 commissioners were rather solemnly deliberating upon 

 a subject concerning which the successive census re- 

 ports left no room for doubt. 



But, one may ask, What becomes of the workers who 

 are thus thrown out of employment ? and, Are there not 

 some compensating advantages? The first of these 

 questions is easily answered for in the extreme case of 

 an individual who suffers absolute displacement the 

 only alternative from idleness is to accept a lower 



1 Report of the Industrial Commission, Vol. X, page 256. See also 

 the testimony of Mr. Ketchum on page 132 of that report. 



