The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-10-06
FUTURE PROBLEM
IN FOOD SUPPLY
+.
Resources Of World viii be
Taxed In Century.
WHEAT GROWING Proc EN-.

English Professor Points Out New
Field of Endeavor For Geographers.
Equalization In the distribution of
Population Must Begin In Near Fu-
ture, Says Expert.
The day of striking geographical ex-
plorations passed with the finding OF
the earth's two poles. The geographer
of the future will have,as his field the
vital questions of supplying and dis
tributing food and clothes to the world
in the opinion of III. n Dickson, presi-
dent of a section of the British ASsoeia-
ton For the Advancement of Science.
Mr.. Dickson so asserted in an address
delivered before the association in
Birmingham. England.
Foremost of these questions, Mr.
Dickson believes, will be that of grow
ing wheat enough for the worlds
bread. y host of problems Of the fu-
ture are marshaled behind this. among
them being the questions Of obtain
ing power and energy sufficient to
operate the needed increase i'll fac
tories. the fuel question and the dis
tribution of population. Within Il cen
fury, he estimates, the resources of the
world will be taxed to their full ca
pacity.
Mr. Dickson is professor of geo
graphy ut University college. I1din-
burgh; president of the Royal Meteovo-
logical society and Il recognized au-
thority and writer on meteorological
and geographical topics.
Problem of Accommodation.
"CiyiliZed man is or ought to he be-
ginning to realize" Mr. Dickson said.
that in reducing more and more of
the surface of the earth to what he
considers Il habitable condition he is
making 50 much progress and max
ing it SO rapidly that the problem of
finding suitable accommodation for his
increasing numbers must become ur-
gent within a few generations. We are
getting into the position of the mer-
chant whose trade is constantly ex-
panding and who foreseeS that his
premises will shortly be too small fol
him. In our case removal to more
comm0diOuS premises elsewhere seems
impoSSible-we are not likely to find 8
means of migration to another planet
so we are driven to consider means OF
rebuilding ON the old site and thus
making the best of what we have tha
our business may not suffer.
IN the type of civilization with
which we are most familiar there ar,
two fundamental clementS-sunpIieS @
food energy and supplies Of mechani
cal energy. Since at present. partly De
cause of geographical conditions thes
i do not necessarily cor even in general
D occur together. there is third essen
tial factor. the line of transport
Mr.. Dickson referred to the whea
J acreage as not keeping pace with tn
Increase in population.
IF prophecies based on population
statistics are trustworthy" Mr. Dick
son declared, the crisis will he upo
rs before the end of the century. Afte
that we must either depend upon som
substitute to reduce the consumptio
per head or we must take to INTENSITY
farming of the most strenuous sort"
Takes Up Coal Supply.
AS to the worlds coal supply. VI
Dickson said that the largest field
would last barely three centuries eve
G ut the present rate of consumption
OF other fields, yet undiscovered. h
could, of course, make no reckoning.
There must begin in the near fl
a ture,' Mr. Dickson continued. "a gree
] equalization in the distribution
\ our population. This equalization wi
arise from Il number of causes anon
= them being intensive cultivation of tt
soil and more uniform distribution
manufactures.
What is wanted" he concluded. :.
that we should seriously address on
selves to a stock taking of our +
!. sources We should vigorously Or
coed with the collection and discussit
a of geographical data of all kinds
Of that the major natural distribution
TT shall be adequately known. Eventual
=, we shall find that country plannil
ii will become as important as town pla
ming. In the meantime geographic
= knowledge will yield scientific resul
in of much significance about such N;
tiers as distribution of population Al
industries and the degree of adiu,
ment to new conditions which occu
or is possible in different regions al
among different peoples