BECAUSE THE Dominican Republic is primarily agricultural,
some eighty per cent of its population living on farms, and
perhaps more than sixty per cent of its national income be-
ing derived from agriculture in one way or another, the
Dominican farmer and his way of living, his problems and
his blessings, have received the major share of attention
from most serious students of the nation's economy.

The Dominican farmer, like farmers everywhere since
the earliest recorded history, has been the object of the
greatest solicitude on the part of many politicians--solici-
tude, and sometimes betrayal. His sturdy, simple virtues have
been extolled by orators, and his spiritual worth has been
made the subject of much good and bad poetry. Bankers
and credit experts and long-range economic planners also
have given the tillers of the rich Dominican soil their share
of attention. The Dominican farmer has had an easier time
of it than some other farmers, and his life has been con-
sistently smoother so far as the absolute necessities were
concerned; however, by certain sets of standards he has
had a pretty tough time of it. Compared with the yeo-

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