The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-10-29
CAS- 'ORlA
For Infants and Children.
The Kind You Have Always Bought
Signature sssss sss Of zH9Azzzz1<
Farmers Must Pay
Nations Bread Bill

WASHINGTON, October 26 The Sec
ton of Lands of the National Conserva-
ton Commission is making rapid progress
towards the completion of its share of
the inventory of natural resources which
the Commission is making This section
has charge of the Investigations into the
present condition and use of agricultural
land, and the statistics on which it will
base its report are practically all in hand.
Two exceedingly interesting questions
upon which the Section is gathering data
are whether the tendency is towards
larger or smaller farms and whether soil
productiveness per acre is increasing or
decreasing. The answers to these ques-
lions are not only vital at present, since
they will indicate whether there is a
noticeable trend toward monoplization Of
the soil and whether the diminution of
fertility which is known to have taken
place in some districts is general, but
they are peculiarly significant in connec-
ton with the prediction that within half
a century the population of the United
States will reach 200, 100000.
James ]. Hill, the railroad organizer,
who presented some startling figures on
soil waste at the White House confer
ence Of Governors last May, said recent
ly that all the natural resources of the
country put together will not be able to
furnish profitable employment for such
population without conservation of the
soil With the maximum possible acre
age of wheat in fifty years, he predicted
that with continuation of present
methods of cultivation the Nation would
be about 1864, 600, 600 short of the amount
necessary to pay it's annual bread bill
This deficit, he declared, could by no
possibility be met, even partially, through
selling raw products or manufactured
articles abroad. The only hope will lie
in agriculture. But agriculture, he said,
would amply furnish both occupation
and food supply, provided proper
methods of farming were employed and
that all agricultural land was brought to
its full usefulness.
A half century is so short time that
the problems of fifty years hence are
almost the problems of today. People
now alive will actually meet them and
have to solve them. ThirtysiX out OF
every hundred Americans are farmers
now, and last year American farms
yielded crops worth 81, Alp, 900, 900. Any
advance or retrogression in agriculture
affects not only the leading industry of
the country and the largest number OF
workers directly, but all others as well,
since it is the source of their food supply.
Since there is comparatively lutte pub
lie land left suitable for agriculture, the
mere increase in population from now on,
even if the proportion of farmers re-
mains SO per cent and does not greatly
increase as Mr.. Hill prophesies, must re-
suit in subdivision of the present farm
area of the country among larger num-
Der of workers and a more intensive Gull
tivation of the soil.
The farmers themselves are awake to
the Importance of preventing further
losses of the most fundamental of all
the natural resources and of increasing
the efficiency of that which remains.
Hardly meeting of farmers organize
lions this summer and fall has failed to
pass resolutions endorsing the work of
the Conservation Commission along this
line. At the close of the session of the
Farmers National Congress in Madison,
Wisconsin, at which representatives from
all parts of the country were present, the
first resolution adopted was the follow
ing, which is typical of many others:
"That we hereby favor the movement
for the better conservation Of the natural
resources of the country, especially the
conserving of the soil. The movement
to stop wanton waste has not commenced
moment too soon. We commend the
far-sighted craftsmanship Of President
Roosevelt in calling the conference OF
Governors to consult on this important
subject and endorse the aims and pur-
poses of the National Conservation Com
mission. ~