The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-12-11

Shows Some Startling Son
dTdons as to the Ma
tons a1dS
MORE SERVICE IE e EB
AS the Food Supply IS Rot
Increasing Along With
the Population


WAsEI31G -. Dec. -
The most Interesting point made II
lie through the report os me Work
conducted during the summer
fan by the Section 81 asntis et
National CONSERVATION eo5nnti lon
/ OF which Senator Knute Nelson
Minnesota, Is chairman. IS that
/ inventory OF natural resources
! demonstrated that the sof OF
limited States as a whole Is not Z =
4 ing on. but rather Is in most parts
of the country, if not actually gain
ing. at least holding It's own ne
report declares, however, chat our
agricultural lands VIII soon be re-
qufred to produce a. least twice IS
much as they do at present in order
to meet the Natiouss demand noE
food Such an increase in crop pre-
duction Is possible with proper
methods.
There are in the United States
proper, according to the repert,-
tribe less than 5000 goo sqnars
miles OF land surface, of which
little more than one2dfth is nntler
cultivation. About a quarter Is COW
cred with forests ana smaller pro
portion with woods, Young sroWel1
and cut-over land with the e9eeI.-
tion.of waste lands and a relatively
small amount OF mineral lands, al
the rest IS grazing land.
Some OF the most Significant taets
brought ont were the following;
Soils,
The soils OF the United States,
measured BY the yield Of crops pei
acre, are not losing their fertility
Taking the country, as q ole a me
out of ten counties are either hoi
ing their own IN this respect or are
calming in fertility. This matter
one OF the first in Importance to the
country, has been. thoEoughlY stld4
led from more than one point 81
view. and tlle above statement Is
made With confidenee. Those parts
of the country which are losing in
fertility are mainly in the newly
settled regions where the farmers are
drawing from the original fertility
of the soil and re+not replacing =
with fertilizers or practictng the
method of rotatlonof crops. These
areas arc DroportIolately largest iIr
the States Of Mississippi. Louisiana,
Texas. ArlSan and Oklahoma, /. e..
the western States s0f the cotton helt-
and in them are found - per cent.
of all such lands in the country.
The present low average yield -
in some part due tocareless farm
ing hut more generally TO- the fact
that land Is cheap relative To farm
labor. The highest Yields per acre
are found IN the older northeastern
States where land is relatively hlBil
in value, and in the arid regions OF
the West where WAFER, the essential.
IS scare
The soils are not, however, pro-
ducing half of what they should
produce or what they win soon be
required to produce II we wopk
avoid buying our foods elsewhere ~
the future. The acreage of caltt-
waited land IS increasing much more
slowly than the population and can
never be more than twice as great
as at present, while by the end OF
the present century we shall probably
have three times as many people to
feed as now. The amount OF our
farm crops Is also increasing much
more slowly than our population.
An increase IN yield per acre i5 there
fore Imperative. In that matter VIC
are far behind wstern, Europe and
as our soils are at least equally rich
1t becomes a matter OF care In the
selection OF seed, OF fertilizlng, and
OF cultivation.
Public Lands.
There are in the Continental Unit
ed States 3s6.S73.7s1 acres OF I'M
appropriated and unreserved lands
and almost an equal amount In Alas
kn. In the year ending June go.
Dos, there were 29,636 entries. coy
ering 4,242 ,71O.59 acres, number
which has been exceeded IN only two
years. 1t is evident, therefore, that
there is no present need to increase
the size OF holdings granted to each
homesteader. as has been recently
urged, since the desire to secure
HOMESTEAD OF 100 -acrs b sim strong
enough to increase rather than to
diminish the average number OF en-
tries per year.
The public land laws, a. they eNT
ist today do not furnish the neceF-
.e- 4, 4bo ,,,s;,I,iic lands Chances