Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
AT FORTY SEVENTH SESSION OF
NATIONAL GRANGE.
Less Than II Per Cent of Land Yield
ing Maximum Returns-SOme State
Colleges Not Doing Their Duty
People Greatest UndevelOped
Resource.

A question frequently asked in
Washington of those connected with
agriculture is whether we have
reached the limit of our supply Of the
necessaries of life and whether or not
anything can be done to decrease the
cost of living. l have Systematically
refused to deal offhand, with this
vastly important problem, as so many
of the interviewers expect. 1t is one
of vast Importance and compleXity.
There are many avenues OF approach
to it; many controlling factors and
no simple remedy. But ] am not one
of the pessimists. | do not entertain
the thought for a second that we have
Appropriated the limit of our output
from the soil. AS a matter of fact,
we have just begun to attack the
problem. We have not even reached
the end of the pioneering stage and
have only in a very few localities de-
veloped conditions where maximum
returns may be secured. But we have
Enthusiastically reached the period
where we must think and plan and
work. We can no longer rely on the
dences that Providence is ceasing its
Americans. Conditions are emerging
which if not fundamentally dealt with
will lead us into serious embarrass-
ments. 1t is well for US to face the
facts and get our bearings.
Less Than II Per Cent of Land Yield
ing Maximum Returns.
With a population of less than 90
millions of people living on more than
three millions of square miles, it is
ridiculous to speak as if our territory
had been more than pioneered. The
population per square mile in the
union does not exceed 81, and ranges
from seven-tenths of one per cent
in Nevada to sos in Rhode Island.
According to the best statistics
ava able it appears that the total
arabic land in the Union is approx
mately 935 million acres; that only
about 400 millions of this is included
in farms and improved; that over 100
millions is unimproved and not in
included in farms; and the remainder
is unimproved lands included in farms.
According to the best guesses l can
secure it appears that less than 40
per cent of the land is reasonably well
cultivated, and less than IL per cent
of it is yielding maximum returns.
That we have practically reached
the stage where we have ceased to
Me an exporting nation of food pro-
ducts and are becoming dependent on
foreign nations for the necessaries of
life is a sad commentary upon our
use of the opportunities bountifully
bestowed upon US. We had better
frankly face the fact that we are
relatively inefficient, take stock of
our shortcomings and earnestly seek
the remedy.
Penalty of Fostering Industrial Cen
ters and Letting Agriculture Take
Care of Itself.
That we are suffering the penalties
of too great ease of living and of
making living over too long period
is obvious. We have followed the
course of least resistance and have
followed it to the limit. We must now
face the problem Of planning; Of the
systematic direction of our energy, and
of invoking the aid of science and Of
the best approved devices. 1t is not
singular in reality that we should find