332 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



compelled to combine, and they did, 

 and great are the benefits received and 

 conferred. Now let the farmers com- 

 bine into big farming corporations, 

 and liliewise receive and confer bene- 

 fits. The great industrial revolution 

 will not pass the farmers by. It will 

 bring him out of the ditch, even if it 

 has to drag him out. 



Let us consider some of the advan- 

 tages and benefits to be gained by the 

 organization of farmers into big farm- 

 ing corporations. The business of 

 farming would be brought to a meth- 

 odical and scieniiflc basis, which can 

 never be the case with the present 

 system of independent proprietors. 

 Experts would have charge of every 

 department of business. Then things 

 would mean what would be immense. 

 Less land (probably not over half as 

 much would be needed) would be cul- 

 tivated, and such as was cultivated 

 would be selected, that is, the proper 

 soil would be selected for the proper 

 crop, while the remainder would be 

 given bacK to forestry, thereby restor- 

 ing the climatic balance, which is too 

 badly out of equilibrium. 



The fuel question is becoming more 

 and more important, owing to the coal 

 exhaustion that will take place in the 

 future. This would solve, in the best 

 way, the forestry problem. 



Less land in cultivation would mean 

 less roads, but better ones. The cor- 

 porations would need good roads, and 

 would have the means of building 

 them. This would be the best solu- 

 tion of the good roads' problem. 



Those who work the farms would 

 naturally be brought into groups of 

 families and be located on the good 

 roads. Trolley lines would be estab- 

 lished whore it would pay to run them, 

 and, in other cases, automobile convey- 

 ances would be run. 



I have been thinking of what the 

 possibilities may be with the steel 

 plate roads. With the plates having 



upward projecting flanges it may be 

 possible to run steering cars or large 

 conveyances that could be run out into 

 "turnouts" in passing, thus dispensing 

 with rails, yet at the same time se- 

 curing what is, no doubt, the best of 

 all roads— the steel plate. On such 

 roads, on a level, twelve times as 

 much can be drawn as on macadam 

 roads. 



With the farmers' homes in groups 

 or villages, on good roads, and the 

 groups of houses and the cities and 

 towns connected by trolley lines and 

 other kinds of public conveyances, a 

 number of very important rural prob- 

 lems would be solved. First, the prob- 

 lem of cheap, quick and easy trans- 

 portation of passengers to and from 

 town, and of freight to and from the 

 different marketing and freight receiv- 

 ing centers. Second, the social prob- 

 lem, one of the most important of all. 

 Farmers would have near neighbors 

 and easy access to others in the 

 groups. Third, sanitary or health 

 problem. Families living in groups, 

 and connected with the groups and 

 the towns, their sanitary condition 

 would be attended to; better medical 

 skill could be secured and hospitals 

 would be located at proper points. 

 Fourth, the rural mail delivery prob- 

 lem would be solved, and in the best 

 possible manner. Fifth, tho rural 

 education problem would be solved 

 too, in the best manner, for it would 

 be easy to concentrate the scholars at 

 certain points where the proper schools 

 were located, and thus give to country 

 youths and children a proper chance 

 to secure a good education. Indeed, 1 

 imagine that it might make possible 

 the universal distribution of that best 

 of all schools, the training school, 

 which trains both the hand and the In- 

 tellect, and gives the practical man 

 and woman. This world really has 

 little use for the one who is afraid 

 to soil his hands. 



