WHAT FARMERS WANT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18019, 6 November 1920, Page 9

WHAT FARMERS WANT

TO STICK TO THEIR FARMS AND THE SIMPLE LIFE. HOW TO BRIGHTEN CONDITIONS IN THE COUNTRY. .(By Ross B. Johnston in the “Farm Journal.) “What do farmers want?” is the question that is most in the minds of the people to-day. The answer is so simple that it may be a surprise to many people. The real farmers want to stick to their farms. Down deep in their hearts they want "to live out their lives on their farms and hope that some of the children may sticy after them. They are distrustful of the future of America if great industrial and commercial centres with their millionaires and their anarchists their failures and their extreme successes, continue to draw the youth of the country until industries overbalance agriculture in our national life, so as to swing our ideas and our standards too far away' from "the more, humble and prudent practises of the past.” Farmers are not grumblers. They carry Out the everyday tasks of the farm, the home, and the community, and remain, as they have always been, good citizens, conservative and thoughtful. But. farmers sometimes decide that, in recent years, they have not been favoured equally with people of the city. Farm products too often sell at prices that do not pay for the used soil fertility, or for the family labour. High schools are too far away. Good roads are often only between cities and not arranged with due regard to accommodating the farming sections. Low salaries procure teachers unfitted for their work. Moreover, school terras are too short. Ministers'likewise are, as a body, ill-train-ed, and this again because congregations do not pay enough to secure the services of thoroughly prepared men. Doctors are too far away and many of them side-step country trips whenever it is possible. Farm women see with anxiety the prevalence of (Jjsease of various forms in the community. They learn that Water-supplies are often impure. They sigh for some home conveniences, bathrooms, running witter, etc., and envy city people their homes with more tastefully decorated interiors and more attractice exteriors. Farmers know that matters of marketing and of legislation can be influenced littl6 by themselves individually’ and that only in collective action is there hope of results. They resent the growing wage demands of their helpers and their steady drift into the manufacturing industries or other city employment. OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT. Many persons who investigated the farming problem a little, got started off on the wrong foot. They had an idea that perhaps farmers faced some big problems and that they had some difficulties to meet; but they were entirely wrong when they thought that farmers wanted la plow corn and feed hogs only long enough to get money enough to move to town'; They could not believe that to the real farmers country life is the most satisfying form of living. With this view of the situation, it is any wonder that the answers to the farming question were all so far from the./truth? These answers could I only be in terms of dollars and cents to the exclusion of everything else. THE PROBLEM ONLY HALF SOLVED. While there are many communities where conditions are very satisfying in spite of small farm incomes, it is undeniably true that the amount of money the farm folks have to spend really determines the kind of home, churches, schools and roads, for “money makes the mare go.” But although the persons with this answer were right as far as their answer went, sthey had only solved half the problem. If farmers chose to stay on their farms, the big part of the problem was still unsolved. Where was the increased farm income to go? Gold dollars on a desert island are worthless. Evidently the problem of rightly using money is at least equally as important as getting the money in the first place. Thus they were not answering the questions for the real farmers at all. but only for the farmers who did not expect to remain farmers. The real farmers want to stay on their farms, and they see the need for improvement before they feel justified in keeping their families on the farms. Few, if any, farm families living amidst conditions that now exist, are self-sufficient. They need the aid and co-operation of other farm families. The most logical and natural group, then, for the farmer to jgin is the organisation unit that year in and year out means most to him, the community club—the small neighbourhood group where the people know each other well, and trust each other and are unselfish enough to work for a common cause. Many of us are still willing to stake our chances on the presidency, on the proposition that the most important problems of farmers and of making that “Good Living and 10 per cent, are local problems. In a hilly' country, of small farms and bad roads, the community club may be a very small neighbourhood group indeed—• twenty-five to 100 families. Where the roads are good and farming operations are on a bigger scale, the community may take in a whole county, or where the counties are not too large, even two counties might, belong to the same community. For these folks, the most important things outside thpir own households and of their own farms are a local school where their children attend, the church where they worship, the stores where they purchase, and the roads over which they have to travel. EVERY TUB ON ITS OWN BOTTOM Each community must thus proceed with the consideration of its own local problem or problems. Each community has conditions that are peculiarly' its own. It must have its own medicine prescribed. No community patent medicine that would cure the ills of every community can be prescribed. So every' one of these real farmers who makes his own living right from the ground, has a right to demand, for himself and for his family, the kind of standards his community should have. If that is true, his duty is to help establish these same standards. In my own state, West Virginia, in recent y'ears, large numbers of farm families have improved their own efficiency and happiness, ant 1

certain local community groups have, pried themselves out of the mud. My state is, of course, not exactly like any' other state in the Union. The ideals and the ambitions of its farmers are not so different from the millions of other farmers in the United States. At any' rate, each Farm Journal reader, in whatever state he may live, can interpret the experience of these 10,000 farm people in these twenty-five West Virginia communities, according to conditions in his own community.

In twenty-five rural communities that were awake to the necessity of helping build up a better place in which real farmers could stick to the farms with justice to their families, the people sought outside expert advice. A co-operative arrangement between the State Department of Schools, State Department of Public Health. State Sunday-School Association, and the Slate University gave these live communities help in rural school work, in rural sociology, home economics, sanitation, etc. Each community' group performed the actual investigations, under advice from experts connected with these institutions, to determine the factors that were most strongly influencing the community life. JUDGE COMMUNITIES THE SAME AS CATTLE. Tlie result was the evolution of a score card. This score card is really a booklet of some forty pages, but is worked out exactly like the score card used for years by farmers to judge their cattle, hogs and chickens at the county or state fair. It is readily understood by the country people, and applies just as well to their homes and their own life as to their livestock. Its system of judging by points has been markedly successful. Each community could score a possible 1000 points, but no one has gone higher than 728 points so far. Here are some points that make a perfect community, where farmers will stick to their farms:

History must play its big part, for early' life and ancestry meant much to a community. The community, whose early settlers were sober, industrious, God-fearing persons, al-

ways has a big lead. Government is considered second, for the lite of a community depends largely upon familiarity' with the law, respect, for jt, and the natural observance of law that conies from respect. Business includes such matters as access to markets, raising produce and stock that has the best market, good roads, telephones, united action in buying and selling, and general co-opera-tion of the people of the community for the common good. Farms are the most important single factor. Whether the farms are rich or poor, level or hilly, well tilled, etc., largely determines the wealth of the Community. Is the type of farming suited to the marke is and the locality? Do farmers [know how to get the best results front their land?* Do tljey farm according to improved methods? Do they use much farm machinery? These and many other questions are considered in scoring a community. Are there clubs that work to build up the community and add something to its social life? Do the clubs have a definite idea of work that ought to be done for individual and community welfare? Do the farm women have homes with ordinary conveniences, running water etc.? Are the homes attractive outside and inviting inside, well furnished, and decorated in a pleasing and suitable manner? Is there a good home spirit prevalent, so that the family works in close harmony? Are. there plenty of good books, magazines and papers in the homes?

Do the schools show growth? Are the buildings well lighted, and have they adequate equipment including playgrounds? Are the teachers paid sufficient salaries to insure properly' trained instructors? Do the children attend school the full term? Is the school building used for general community meetings so that it becomes a real community centre? Do parents support the teacher and school officials in every way?

Is the community over-churched or under-churched? That is, do the churches meet the religious needs of the community without imposing an unnecessary burden on the people? Is there a willingness to combine a number of weak churches, irrespective of denomination, into one strong church, if that would better serve the community? Is the pastor's salary enough to attract a competent man who is a real community leader? Is the church building adequate, with necessary equipment including kitchen, etc., for. meetings'eand instruction of all sorts? Are ..the Sundayschool teachers properly trained for their work?

How ar e health coptlitions? Do the people understand questions of health and hygienW Are homes properly screened Sainst flies, wells properly located atffil curbed, refuse djisjjosed of safely, e;c.?

' These few questions indicate th< questions asked under each of the ■ nine headings on the score card ; Each subject scores a possible 10C : points, except that of farms, whicl [is considered worthy of 200 points. EACH COMMUNITY ITS OWN JUDGE. Starting three years ago. Wesi Virginia “scored” three communities, 'the second year scored twenty-five, [and thin year will touch thirty-three 'communities scattered all over the state. Each community actually [ scores itself, with the aid of the ; score card. A committee from any [ active farm club or just a group of I interested persons does the actual work. The outside help is purely I advisory. Each community is scored. [ thre years for the sake of comparison and to measure growth. The ■communities are compared to show ! the vest community each year and also to make use of community rivalry in keeping up interest. This prepares the community to take the steps to go ahead, to make itself a place where the farmers want to stay on their farms because their neighbourhood is a good place i» which to live. It lays bare points on which the community can best start improvement. If the community neds better roads, a stronger church I by consolidating two or more churchles, a better school building by unite ling two schools, or enlarging one already built, that course is followed. |lf the need of co-operative buying .and selling is seen, that is clearly outlined. If there is found the neeil of a county agent, the way is paved for bringing him in.

French Creek. Upshur county, was West Virginia’s banner community last year. This community of not more than 500 people raised 30,000 dollars by popular subscription for a new high-school building when it was seen that the school equipment was i inadequate. WHAT A FIGHTING MAN CAN DO. What a determined, enthusiastla and adaptable man can do on the land is told by the New Westminster British Columbian. B. Bruckshaw, on his return after four years in the army, decided to ■settle on the land and chose 40 acres near Meridan, gelling possession a ‘year ago. The place was breasi-bigh with undergrowth and generally speaking was a pretty tough proposition. However, he took his wife and [five children (the youngest two months old) io his localion and pitched a bell tent. He was told by the neighbours that he was making a mistake, as the land needed draining 'and would take too much capital to clear it.

He built a barn and moved his family in. At that time his two cows were left in the open. He started to clear his land with a mower, after turning down the lowest lender of 18 dollars per acre for the job. With hard work he succeeded last fall in clearing 15 acres and his stand of oats compares favourably with anything in the valley. Next be built a five-roomed house and in the Spring he continued to clear land and to put in crops of oats, peas and vetches. Mr. Buckshaw also had several acres in potatoes, turnips, mangels and carrots, a good garden, a chicken-house with nearly 400 chickens, and will have five acres seeded to barley. Neighbours turned to and helped him erect a home so that the labour did not cost him a cent.

The barn has accommodation for twelve cows and at present houses six grade Jerseys and three'heifer calves of his own raising. He and a neighbour, also a returned soldier, piped water 1,700 ft. to their houses.

He has more land under cultivation now than some of his neighbours who have held now land for more than 20 years and who did not spend four years fighting the foe.