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Show I IFROM ICE FROM THE COUNTRY CO UHTRY .jciiltural jciiltural 'icultural icultural iCtlltUi'al iCtlltUial . ' ' Revolution Doomsly-Fashioned Doomsly Fashioned Dooms Doomsti dFashioned jd.Fashioned jdFashioned tijd.Fashioned ti - _ . General Farm . j jdilor 5 s Note Thl Tins < ; IS the first In a series of arUcles articles on cur curroblems curt ' " ! , : dI1or dilor y ( problems roblems oblews bl br by : Louis Bromfield One of Amerlcs Amcrici Amerlc\ Amerlc America ' \ s leading leadingters leadingW :1:5 15 t ters : ' : p Bromfield is author of The Green Bay Tree thetzer the theLfc praze-UlDmng praze UlDmng prizraiumng - Earl Autumn The Rains Came Camet Camepleasant tzer t ( " . galley \ alley and nd numerous other books ) 'Jeasant Jeasant pleasant ) ' 14 Lfc , By 6y LOUIS BROMFIELD BROMFIBLD BROMFIELDk 'i i : ' 'it k \ t : < i Released by WN WNU J Featurestely Features FeaturesH H tely gjy there has arisen ansen m the mind mmd of the writer wnter doubt doubts doubtsruing doubtst doubtstriling ! > -riling riling ruing - ntng two patterns P3 " 13 of American Amencan life hIe in m which all of us ustaken usp us1 p , taken great pride pnde m in the past These are unwelcomets unwelcome , " ts is but observation obseIvatIon ; and study of the patterns in m relationhighly relationhighly relation highlyintegrated highly integrated mtegrated industrialized mdustnalized worldm worldin world m in which we lives liveti hve live hvethem ti , them unavoidable They are piat at the old ! plO pro plOeef pioner \ eef eer pattern of self sum suflj sumgeneral sufljgeneral sufflgeneral general farm is doomed doomedat doomedlit [ at our oDr present compll compllsted compllated compllted , sted ated , complex eomple- eomple complee eompleeeonomlo - , ; eeonomlo economic eeonomlotlon economictlon economicrttion tlon cannot afford aflord count- count countsmall countsmall count-small count small - - small enterprises sa save savevery saveT ve vevery very e exceptional e.ceptronal eceptronal . eeptlonal circums circum circumMS MS s . [ doubts are certain certam to arouse arouseit arouset t and even abuse but both bothe , e the cons derat dertt on of every everyttul everytful everylittnl ttul tful cltlzengeneral citizengeneral citizen cltlzen citizengeneral general farm producing producmg a aot aof acl ot of everyth ng is an American Americanpattern Americanpattern Americanpattern pattern growlDgout growingout growing growlDg " ? out of life We uponIsolated uponF upon F \ isolated flontlersand frontiersww frontiers flontlers ww wwand y , and no longer fits fitsmto fitsinto fitsy fitsyfS fS ' into mto a highly lughly complex complex corn com plex nat onal econ econamy economy econf | omy amy A te fe v acresof acrest acres t ' t tof of corn or oats orwheat orwheat or ory wheat or hay can cannot cannot y | not support a com corn compIcker cornk cornpicker corn-j corn j k ? - ( | picker a combineif combmeor combineor combine combme or a hay baIler baIlerTherefore bailerv v if Therefore the gen general genreinield genromfield reinield eral farmer is atonce atonce at , once at a great d s stage stags sntage tage tags In competing competang with the thetarmer thefarmer thefarmer tarmer farmer the wheat farmer tarmer or orI orc orc oripcc I c al st it grass farmer or the thefarmer thefarmer thefarmer farmer all of whom are do docent doc dofficent [ cent c ent Jobs lobs ] 0bs along speciahstw specIalIstw specIalIst w th the high degree of mech mechbon mechbon mechlion bon which any specialist en ense ense enise se can supportluse supportause support ause luse the general farm cannotIT cannota cannot " a 8 high degree of mechani mechanisrw > , < , , * " \ - Y 1 rJ I " t7 { ; dw t : . . I . " ' srw srwas ( - < 'fry fry ' ' < r-t r t rtk ' < - # - t : ; " ' " -k k - ] " ' . Ith-v Ith v Ithv1 . - , , -1 1 - 4 4'v ' " . //'v 'v v / . , , / ' , . : ; < - ,14 14 ,14l " , . ! " { > ; . < : \l l \ : 111 .u u as . e a , the general farm ca mol inot mot1 molI inotf I f a . a h gh S degree of ofmecl meet mecl mecla a anaie JI ii a aht abe ht be ge eral farmer m st sl it u uork uorkio u arkho ork ark orkio , io ho rs do th8S th tb gs 8S in an old oldtd olded oldud td ed tdslow edslow slow andme andineff and inefTc ineffc me ineff [ c ent enl way waythe waythe the general farmer must mustlong mustlong mustilong long hours do things thmgs m an anshioned an anshloned anshioned shloned shioned slow and mefficlent inefficient mefficlentHIs inefficientHis inefficientI His gross income mcome is almost almostn n to be only a tract fract on of ofof ofof ofof of the specialist in m da rymgfarmmg rymgfarming rymg . farming farmmg corn and hogs fru t tes tes toes es or any other undertakmg undertaking undertakinge undertakmga undertakinga a man is doing domg one or t vaeffic voefic vo va voeffic effic efic ently and well mstead instead insteador msteador or 15 th ngs Inefficiently lnefticiently slowpamfully slowpainfully slow slowpainfully pamfullyo painfullyo painfully pamfully 10 o v of one special st at farm fann of oferes ofores ofcres eres ores ra s ng apples raspber raspberand raspberand raspberand and hybrid seed corn com wuch which wuchear whichear whichear ! ear grossed $33 33 $ 000 It is JS ugh high ughchanazed highchanized ! highxhanized chanazed chanized ! Alfalfa Alalfa is JS gro vn not notcattle notcattle notid cattle but to mulch arch orch archand orchand orch'and orchand ' and raspberries The labor laborule laborthe laborule ule the is balanced the year round roundBO roundo 13 o peaks and no slack &Iack Iack & periodstent periods periodsttent periodsttent ttent on is focused upon thespecIalties thespecialties the ! tpecialties specIalties and high produ produl prodw ' ' ' ' elds olds per acre rather than thanImg thanbag thanmg Img bag upon ! high ugh prices to sur suris surs ' is the bas s of o1 all operations operationscome operationscome operationsttcome come is high and the hours hoursbecause hoursbecause hoursbecause because the farmer is operat operatciently operatciently operatBciently operatBcientlyie ( ciently cientlye ie e same acreage operatangI operatinga operating operatang I a general farm with a few fewkens fewtens fewckens kens tens a few cows a fews fewa few a few acres of wheatcorn wheatcorn wheat corn or hay could have haveuced haveaced haveilucei uced aced a maximum maxffnum maxlfnum gross Ine Ine In Ine e even m an in these tbese times hmes of ofprIces ofprices ofi prices ofonly of only about aboutor about00 or $7 7 $7000 7000 $ 000 with mth a net of oflIIore ofmore ofmore lIIore more than $ S3 $3 3 000farmer 000 Q ( } ) 000t t farmer would be at the theof theT of 01 a custom ba bailer er corn com comr cornr r ( comb combine me or haybailer hayballer andbe andbe and ' be forced to do th ngs theold theold the ' old fashioned way and fre tly fly fretly frefly tlysuffer suffer losses because the thenery thevery theunery nery very was not available when . nere .ere ere were ready Bad weather weatherMen dden ddea weatherdden weatherddea decline declme in m prices can ru n nor nor nor or reduce ! him urn to subsistenceaspect subsistence "Pect Pect IlSpect aspect " " that in m another gener goner generalwill the generthe gonerthe old fashioned general generalWill curiosityil curiosItyt will have become a curiosIty curiosItym curiosityin t in m poor agricultural arease areasa areas a lew few farms cling elmg to theay theeys the ay eys St , Anyone with an obser\ obser obsen obserant observant \ ant agricultural"y agriculturaly . drIV antdrIV observantdriv "W W " ng through agrIcultural agrIculturalcan " can sec see tor for himself theg the theB B g 8 of the old pattern pa tern ! v The well painted barns and andhouses andhouses andhouses houses the new automobll3s automob las lee the thelandscaped thelandscaped thelandscaped landscaped grounds around the theI thefarm thefarm thefarm I farm house the good fences - all allof allof : of these one sees on dairy daary farms farmsfrtut farmsfruit I irmt frtut farms or potato farms The Thefarms Thefarms Thefarms farms that appear to be fallmg falling fallmgI fallmgapart fallingapart fallingapart I apart are almost alwayi alway always . pract c cmg cmg cmg mg agriculture m in the old pIOneer pIOneerpattern pioneerpattern pioneerpattern pattern A good many of them are areclosmg areclosing areclosing closmg closing do11 do vn \11 11 vin \ ' each year or sh ft fting ftIng fting ing over to specialization m an in order orderto orderto orderto to improve income ancome and living lIvmg stand standards standards standards orderI I ards or even to survlVeIt surviveIt survive survlVe surviveIt It is all part of at the vast agrlcuJ agricui agrlcuJtural agricuitural agncultural tural revolut on now In piogress pi ogress and andit andit andit it is JS the result of pressures from fromour fromour fromour our highly integrated mechamzed mechanized mechamzedandustrlal mechanizedindustrial mechanizedindustrial andustrlal industrial zed civilization elvl1zataon ! The farm farmis farmis farmis is no longer a front er outpost inthe m mthe mthe the defense against agamst Ind an attack attackwhen attackwhen when \ hen it was necessary to produce produceI producenearly producenearly producenearly I nearly everyth ng that was can con cansUIUed consunned consumed consumedIn sUIUed sunned sunnedIn I In most productive areas of ofthe ofthe ofthe the U S odiy tod\y tod y today ( ' \ a farmer is an anIntegral anintegral anIntegral Integral part of our oor sociil socnl social me me- mechaDical mechanical mechanical - - chanical chaDical economio eeonomlo economic structure structureUSlDg structureusing structureusing USlDg using electricity gasoline gasolme ma- ma maehmery machmery ma machinery - - chinery ehmery chmery , prepared feeds and andotber andother andother otber other things thmgs whicli wwch which bind bmd him wm mto into mtothe intothe intothe the whole structure Ijo go so that he hemust hemust bemust must Integrate ! himself umself and hJs his hJsfarm hisfarm hisfarm farm Into the tbe structure in m order orderto orderto orderto to surviveThe survive surviveThe The farmer fanner of o1 the future will not notbe notbe notbe be a hunter trapper farmer tarmer but a abusmessman abusinessman abusinessman busmessman businessman a scientist and a spe speclal1st speciallst speClalist clal1st ciallst All of at us will benefit by the thechange thechange thechange change in m terms of prices lowered loweredthrough loweredthrough loweredthrough through efficiency in m terms of ofhealth ofhealth ofhealth health and in m terms of taxes taJLes wluch which wluchno whichno whichno no longer will be needed to subsld subsid subsi subsl subsihas d ze farms lIvmg living by a pattern .luch luch which whichhas . .luchhas has become obsolete and which m in mthe inthe mthe the past has cost us dearly m in mmany inmany mmany many waysThe waysThe ways waysThe The pass ng of the general farm farmdoes farmdoes farmdoes does not mean the passing passmg of the thefamIly thefamily thefamily famIly sized farm It is not a ques questlon questron question tlon tron of the amount of land but of ofhow ofhow ofhow how it Jt is 15 u used ed and what the farm farmplan farmplan farmplan plan is A special zed farm tarm of 100 100acres 100acres 100acres acres operated under an efficIent efficIentplan efficientplan efficientplan plan produces 5 to 10 times as asmuch asmuch asmuch much me income orne with much less labor laborThe 4 4sbEti sbEti a ' as s n w % 'W W 'WThe ' The farmer of the future will WIllnot not notbe notbe nothe be a hunter trapper farmer but bllt a busi buSl- buSl buss- buss buSl'less bussmess business - - ness 'less less mess ' ma i 1 a IS scientist sCtenllS1 andIS anda and a IS spec a al ! it sI st stthan itthan than the same acreage operated operatedunder operatedunder operatedunder under the old system of egg eggmoney eggmoney eggmoney money for the wife Sent mental mental1y mentally mentally 1y ly the pass ng is sad but I m afraId afraidt t is IJI inevitable mevltable |