Golden Age.

For many farmers, especially those in the Midwest and Central Plains states the 1910s were a golden age, particularly in comparison with the lean decades of the late nineteenth century. Though the number of farms rose from two million to 6.4 million between 1860 and 1916, and farm acreage more than doubled, the relative number of farmers (and therefore their electoral power) was diminishing. By 1910 fewer than three in ten workers in the nation were engaged in farming. Productivity and prices rose during the 1910s, and many farmers prospered. The Farmer's Union, established in 1902, sponsored cooperatives for purchasing and storing seed and crops and was active among southern cotton growers and northern wheat farmers during the decade.

Farm Legislation.

The Smith-Lever Act, passed by Congress on 8 May 1914, added to the farming boom by making federal funds available to educate farmers in the latest technological...