THE NEW AGRICULTURE 



197 



flash back the sunshine, and the houses where plants are 

 being grown by electricity. Besides, there are whole fields 

 devoted to some of the latest fashions, so to speak, in crops : 

 alfalfa, cowpea, crimson clover, and macaroni wheat. 



The perfection to which each tract has finally been brought 

 leaves no doubt that the plan has been worked out by a highly 

 trained person. Indeed, if we are struck by any one thing 

 everywhere, it is that success follows in the wake of applied 

 science. 



What does all this cost ? The quotations regarding the 

 expense of equipping a great modern farm are certainly im- 

 pressed upon us. Therefore the business ability and skill 

 needed in conducting it must be that of the expert. A 

 manager's equipment, then, must include both scientific 

 training and a knowledge of men and money. It may be 

 new to some that a successful farmer must be a successful 

 business man. 



While still under the spell of these magnificent ventures, 

 another question arises : What relation do these great farms 

 bear to the development of our country as a democracy ? The 

 answer is that the larger the farm, the greater is likely to be 

 the amount of hired labor. Hired labor means workers that 

 are controlled by authority but are largely exempt from re- 

 sponsibility. Such a class is a weed in the garden of democ- 

 racy ; it must be rooted out. Society, because it gains by 

 small and loses by great ownerships, is ready to help cut up 

 large estates into little farms. 



Some gardeners have been quick to see their chance. A 

 man of science knows that he can, in many respects, score 

 on a little farm as well as on a large one. In obedience to this 

 theory such experts are multiplying fast, and they are reap- 

 ing their reward. From mushrooms to medicinal herbs, tip- 

 top produce never goes a-begging. A market gardener in the 



