788 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



water may he cheaper in the city home than in the country. This reduced 

 standard of living in the country is more often a necessity than otherwise, 

 since most farmers who are financially able are installing such improve- 

 ments. It is true that habit or custom has much to do with the providing 

 of modern conveniences, and the introduction of such conveniences 

 into any community generally spreads rapidly, especially among the 

 younger people, as soon as means are available with which to supply 

 them. 



Uncertainties in Farming. — No other occupation is so largely depend- 

 ent upon weather conditions, insect pests and plant and animal diseases 

 as farming; consequently, it is not so fully controlled as is most other 

 lines of business. In a shoe factory the output of each machine may be 

 estimated within a fraction of one per cent. Knowing the cost of mate- 

 rials, the number of machines in operation and the capacity of each, the 

 output of a shoe factory of any size may be closely calculated. Heat and 

 cold, drought and rain, are likely to have little or no effect. With the 

 farmer the season is so important that he may have an unusually large 

 crop or he may have less than half a crop. 



Then, too, his plan of operations may be frequently changed as a 

 result of the change in weather. The men and teams that w r ere to plow or 

 cultivate in a certain field today may have to be directed to some other 

 line of work, because rains prevent working in the field. It is, there- 

 fore, necessary to have plans that will include more than one line of work 

 for any particular period. Fortunately, this uncertainty in the farmer's 

 cash income is largely offset by his assurance in a livelihood, and a cer- 

 tainty that if some years are failures, others are just as certain to be 

 doubly successful. 



Preparation for Farming. — The opportunities on the farm hinge 

 largely on the preparation of the farmer for the occupation. It is now 

 recognized that farming calls for a greater diversity of knowledge and a 

 greater variety of skill on the part of the workman than any other occupa- 

 tion. The unit of production of American farmers has increased rapidly 

 as a result of better methods and the utilization of better farm equipment, 

 and the tendency is to require a relatively smaller number of farmers 

 in proportion to the entire population of the country. It seems probable 

 that the time wall soon come when one farmer will produce sufficient to 

 feed four or five other families. This, of course, will mean that only 

 fifteen or twenty per cent will be farmers, unless exports of farm products 

 continue to be important. 



One who is to farm should prepare for the business. The man who 

 seeks an agricultural education as a preparation for farming is preparing 

 not only for today, but for many years to come. The necessity for such 

 training will increase rapidly from decade to decade. The establishment 

 of state agricultural colleges and experiment stations for the education 

 and enlightenment of the man on the farm is not only an opportunity 



