ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED | OCTOBER 23, 1919 | THE FARMER'S ADVOCATE
Not infrequently we hear public speakers proclaiming the wonderful development of agriculture in this country, but it is evident that they fail to understand real conditions. A drive through the country and a visit to the homes of rural folk, the schools, churches and other institutions give the lie to any figures which statisticians can compile.
It is most significant now that after five years during which time there has been little attention given to education that city and urban schools are crowded to the doors, while rural schools show very little increase in attendance. This shows plainly the trend of population during the last five years. However, what is still further significant is the number of farm sales marking the change from cultivated land to grass. Just recently we were informed by a printer in a small town that he had prepared twenty-six posters lately, advertising farms for sale, and at the bottom of the majority of these posters it was stated “No reserve, for the farm has been sold.” One might ask who the purchasers were, and if they intended to continue the farming operations of the previous owners. The facts of the case are, most of these farms were purchased by men who already live in the neighborhood and feel that with more land they can farm easier, or, in other words, it will be a grass farm supplementing the cultivated areas of other holdings. This is not an isolated instance and indicates what is going on throughout Ontario to a very large extent.
The use of large implements may represent progress in agriculture, but it does not represent development as much as some people are inclined to think. It is not a healthy state of affairs when large implements and labor-saving devices take the place of boys and girls on the farm. It would be far better were conditions such that machinery and labor-saving devices were used to lighten the work and make farm life more pleasant and profitable.