The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-11-16

WASHINGTON. D. c.. Nov. 15.---
David f. Houston, secretary of agri-
culture, yesterday (Friday, November
14th) spoke on THE Organization of
American Agriculture before the
Attn annual session of the National
Grange of Patrons of Husbandry, at
Manches New Hampshire. In his
Introduction Secretary Houston stated
that 1t was time that all intelligent
people put their heads togetne TO con-
slider rural conditions, which present.
ed not "A class problem but a national
| problem affecting city and rural popu-
/ lations alike. Following is an abstract
Of his address:
A question frequently asked In
Washington of those connected with
I agriculture is whether we nave reach
/ ed the limit of our supply Of the nee
/ essaries of life and whether or not
anything can be done to decrease tho
cost of living. ! have systematically
refused to deal offhand. with this vast
I ly important problem, as so many OF
the interyieWers expect. 1t is one OF
vast Importance and completely.
There are many avenues of approach
1 to II: many controlling factors and no
simple remedy. But / am not one OF
T the pessmsts. l do not entertain the
/ thought for a second that we have
approximate the limit of cur output
| from the soil. AS a matter of fact.
! Z2e AaNe just heEuu- tn attack the prob
lem. We have not even reached tho
end of the pioneering stage and have
! only in a very few localities developed
/ conditions where maximum returns
NAV be secured But we have unrnis-
takahly reached the period where we
must think and plan and work We
can no longer rely on the bounty OF
nature There are evidences that
providence is ceas!ng its protective
supervision Of fools and Americans.
Conditions are emerging which II not
! fundamentally dealt with will lead
us into serious embarrassment. 1t is
I we'll for US TO face the facts and get
our bearings.
Land Not Yielding Maximum Returna-
with a population of less than nine
ty-fve millions of people living on
more than three millions of square
miles. IL is ridiculous to speak as il
our territory had been more than pio-
neered. The population per square
mile In the Union does not exceed thir-
ty-one and ranges from seven -tenths
of one per cent In Nevada 20 five hum
ldred and eight in Rhode Island
According 20 the best statistics avail
able it appears that the total arabic
land in the Union is approximately
1885 million acres; that only about 400
millions Of this is Included In farms
and improved; that over Zoe millions
is unimproved and not included in
farms According to the best guesses
can secure it appears that less than
forty per cent of the land In reasons
ably well cultivated. and less than
twelve per cent of it is yielding maxi
mum returns.
That we have practically reached
the stage where we have ceased to be
Ian exporting nation OF food products
and are becoming dependent on for
elgn nations for the necessarles of life
: Is sad commentary upon our use
of the opportunities bountIfuliy be-
slowed upon us. We had better
frankly face the fact that we are rela-
, lively inefficient take stock of our
shortcomings and earnestly seek the
remedy.
Penalty of Fostering fndustrias
I Ccnters
That we are suffering the penalties
of too great ease of living and of maxi
= Ing a living over too long period 10
Y obvious. We have followed the course
of least resistance and have fol-
= lowed Ii 10 the limit. We must now
face the problem of planning, of the
G systematic direction of our energy, and
1 Of invoking the aid of science and Of
:. the best approved devices 1t Is not
singular in reality that we should hnd
i ourselves in our present pllgn.
Recklessnes and waste have been in-
: cident to our breathless conquest OF
5 a continent and we have had our
= minds too exclusively directed to tbs
the establishment Of industrial SUI
: premacy in the keen race tor compeu-
ton with foreign nations. we nave
l been bent on building up great INDUS
trial centers by every natural ana ar
tifical device that we have had httie
, time to think of the very foundations
OF our industrial existence. II mas
$ been assumed that we have had nat
ural monopoly in agriculture; that II
Q could take care of itself, AID for the
most part we have cheerrutly left u
to do SO.
The problem of the individual farm-
err has received scant enough svst6-
y matte attention. and the problem ~
n rural life as whole, has, until recent-
n ly. been practically ignored.
The story that comes from every
i section il substantially the same, u ~
: Il story OF increasing tenancy and alb
: sentee ownership, cf SOILS depieteh
7 and exploited; OF inadequate business
methods: or chaotic marketing and
$ distribution; of inferior roads; of lack
9 of supervise N OF public health and
\ sanitation; OF isolated and III or
8 ganized social activities, ana OF int0-
T rfor intellectual provision.
Country Child versus City 0fiiId.
Consider the position OF child N
any Of the more remote sections o. the
rural districts in America to-day. and
q ask Yourself what his opportunities
y Yare fer training and development ana
= efficiency as compared VITA those Of
Z a similarly endowed boy 10 an urban