Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-02-02

Der by replanting the forests and re-
placing the crops.
But you know, and know, that
there is only one crop Of land, and
that crop has been nearly harvested.
The time has come when the man who
does not deliberately intend to per-
NIT his family to go land-less, and you
might say homeless, shall give his
attention to this question.
NOW, JUST LIsTENI
Our arabic public iands have almost
disappeared. Within twenty years we
will have, and must give employment
in some fashion to fifty million of ad-
ditional population. BY the middle of
this present century, which means
the period when your children will
become middle aged, there will be ap-
proximately two and half times as
many people in the United States as
there are today.
THE OLD CENTURY.
Look back at the last half of the
nineteenth century. You saw "the
course of empire westward sweep its
way"
It was a good old century.
It held in the foreground an abun-
dance of land and hope to every man,
woman and child on earth.
THE NEW CENTURY.
But this is January, 1908.
We are in the early days Of the
twentieth century.
We know what the crowding of pop
ulation has done in the lands Of other
nations.
We know that the natural increase
of population in the next short twenty
years is over 100000 in the United
States alone, and that by the middle
of this young century there will be
approximately two and a half times
as many people here as there are to-
day.
YOUR father never faced such
stern question with regard to your
welfare as you face with regard to
your own family.
do not speak in this serious tone
to have you ask me how to farm. Our
! Professor Fowler can do that. He was
conductor of farmers Institutes for
the Agricultural Department of the
State University Of California for over
eleven years. He now gives his time
and attention to these kind of prob
lens and all others in your position.
had several remarkable letters this
week on those subjects. One fellow
wanted to know If he could raise a
good crop of bachelors buttons, or did
| think there were too many widows
weeds In the vicinity of our Seventh
Colony; and another wanted to know
II you could tell the age Of good hay
rake by counting its teeth.
But / am going to have an under
standing with you today about this
land question, whether you want 1t or
not. You may do as you please about
1t.
This much confronts you. The open
land Is nearly gone. The only advance
on practical lines within the last
decade is the Reclamation Law by the
United States government, and the
inauguration Of the California Home
Extension Plan.
In the first instance, If every project
contemplated by the Reclamation
Service of the Department Of the In
terror in its work of conquering the
desert were executed, and If all were
completed instantly by rub of the
magic lamp, it would only add about
go, 000, 900 acres to the arabic national
domain, and If only forty acres Of this
were assigned to each family it would
supply the needs Of the actual addition
to population by natural increase
and immigration FOR LESS THAN
THREE YEARS.
In the second instance, the work OF
the Home Extension Association has
progressed to that point where we are
confronted with the fact that there are
very few. II any more, large tracts OF