Aided by the sound principles adopted by the Government, the business of the country has had an extraordinary revival.  Looked at as a whole, the Nation is in the enjoyment of remarkable prosperity.  Industry and commerce are thriving.  For the most tart agriculture is successful, eleven staples having risen in value from about $5,300,000,000 two years ago to about. $7,000,000,000 for the current year.  But range cattle are still low in price, and some sections of the wheat area, notably Minnesota, North Dakota, and on west, have many cases of actual distress.  With his products not selling on a parity with the products of industry, every sound remedy that can be devised should be applied for the relief of the farmer.  He represents a character, a type of citizenship, and a public necessity that must be preserved and afforded every facility for regaining prosperity.

The distress is most acute among those wholly dependent upon one crop..  Wheat acreage was greatly expanded and has not yet been sufficiently reduced.  A large amount is raised for export, which has to meet the competition in the world market of large amounts raised on land much cheaper and much more productive.

No complicated scheme of relief, no plan for Government fixing of prices, no resort to the public Treasury will be of any permanent value in establishing agriculture.  Simple and direct methods put into operation by the farmer himself are the only real sources for restoration.

Indirectly the farmer must be relieved by a reduction of national and local taxation.  He must be assisted by the reorganization of the freight-rate structure which could reduce charges on his production.  To make this fully effective there ought to be railroad consolidations.  Cheaper fertilizers must be provided.

He must have organization.  His customer with whom he exchanges products o he farm for those of industry is organized, labor is organized, business is organized, and there is no way for agriculture to meet this unless it, too, is organized.  The acreage of wheat is too large.  Unless we can meet the world market at a profit, we must stop raising for export.  Organization would help to reduce acreage.  Systems of cooperative marketing created by the farmers themselves, supervised by competent management, without doubt would be of assistance, but, the can not wholly solve the problem.  Our agricultural schools ought to have thorough courses in the theory of organization and cooperative marketing.

Diversification is necessary.  Those farmers who raise their living on their land are not greatly in distress.  Such loans as are wisely needed to assist buying stock and other materials to start in this direction should be financed through a Government agency as a temporary and emergency expedient.

The remaining difficulty is the disposition of exportable wheat.  I do not favor the permanent interference of the Government in this problem.  That probably would increase the trouble by increasing production.  But it seems feasible to provide Government assistance to exports, and authority should be given the War Finance Corporation to grant, in its discretion, the most liberal terms of payment for fats and grains exported for the direct benefit of the farm.