The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1913-01-02
FARMERS Hold KEY
Expert Says Cost Of Living Depends
on Abundant Crops.
Soil Must Be Made to Yield More
Proportion of Farmers
Growing Smaller.

Washington, d. C.-The lever that
viii break the backbone Of high prices
of foodstuffs is more intensive farm
ing, cultivation of unoccupied lands
near the large cities and more intelli-
gent methods of agriculture, in the
opinion expressed by Professor Milton
Whitney, chief of the bureau of soils,
Of the department of agriculture. Dr.
Whitney is leading authority on soils
and their uses and his many publica-
lions on soils and their adaptation TO
crop production and their relation to
food consumption have attracted
worldwide attention.
DR.. Whitney is preparing a bulletin
on soils of the country and their rela-
tion to the nations future food sup
ply. He draws specil attention to the
vast amount of uncultivated areas Of
land, the decline in the cultivated
areas compared with the rapid in
crease of the country's population
1.-The country is advancing in every
line" said DIR. Whitney. People are
living better than ever before. AS a
result we are stronger physically and
mentally. We are consuming more
foodstuffs per capita than the popula-
tion of the European countries and
would not for a moment attempt to
discourage less food consumption 1t
is plain that until we get larger sup
ply of foodstuffs, and if the period of
high salaries continues, we can expect
the present high cost of living to con-
tinue.
$50 let us touch the producing side
of the question For instance, the
states north of the Potomac and east
of the Ohio river have a total area of
IL, 1922, $50 acres. The area under cul-
tivation in this territory is estimated
at little over 10000, 900 acres Add
ed to this is 81, 200, 900 acres used for
forestry. So we have over AZ, 900, 000
acres of idle land in the territory lying
in the states
During the past 80 years the
amount of land in use has steadily de-
creased until it is now about 20 pei
cent less than in 1880, while the coun
try as a whole has been growing at ;
phenomenal rate.
1.-THE number of persons engaged il
agricultural pursuits in the state
above mentioned has also decreases
during the past 80 years, while tn
total population has largely increased
There are at present, mark you
about 10000 persons engaged i
agriculture in the area under consider
alton with a population of over 80
, 600, 600 non-agricultural producers
be fed.
? 1.-The bureau of soils estimates thu
> the land under cultivation in the are
; can be made to yield at least fol-
p times as much as at present by MOI
intelligent and intensive methods {
farming. Moreover, the same up-tt
, date methods used on the idle LAND
r will have yielding capacity of owe
eight times as much as at present
Careful investigations conducte
E by the bureau prove that these land
{ are well adapted to all classes of croT
! from the early fruit, truck and veg'
2 tables to the latest storage fruits an
r vegetables for winter use, and to tn
D most intensive kind of dairy farming
f 1.-The conditions in the eastern SCI
|. ton of the country are similar to thos
e existing in other sections. So whetht
f the cost of living is to be reduced {
q not, it is perfectly plain TO even ii
|. layman mind that to feed the preseI
: and constantly growing population {
e the country a greater production {
n foodstuffs must be raised.
! ITO do this more people have got
l return to the farms; it is necessary
= put more land under cultivation; mol
/. improved methods of agriculture, al
c more intensified farming must be 70
/ lowed. %