Evening journal., 1914-07-22
NEW ENGLAND CAN
HITLVINC COST
Department of Agriculture
Sees Relief if Section is
Cultivated
LAND SUITABLE
FOR MANY CROPS
By The United Press.

BY The United Press.
WASHINGTON, July 22.-New Eng
land farms will strike blow at the
high cost Of living, If the opinion Of an
expert Of the Department OF Agriculture
is to be taken a- against the casual con
clusioh of travellers who from what
they have seen from train windows have
made up their minds that New England
is the real home of Abandoned Farms"
Two classes of persons have, appar-
emily, firmly made up their minds chat
farming in New England is a proftless
tickling OF barren rocks and clOds. One
Of these classes is composed of persons
who have seen nothing OF farming in
New England for 70 years, but who re-
member what il was in the days when
they were boys, and then think OF the
big fertile farms of the middle west,
ieXploited almost as much as the
Abandoned Farms" of New Englandl.
The second class consists OF those who
have formed their opinion recently, but
from what they have seen from train
windows as they rapidly skinned
through.
But two important elements have been
operating. One is that the land in the
west. once so free to all comers. and so
cheap per acre, has advanced to fabulous
figures, making it necessary for the far
mers Of that section TO obtain higher
prices for their products. Another is
that a large and growing consuming
population in New England desires food,
while the difficulty in importing some OF
the perishable or bulky farm products
from other states furnishes an excellent
home market.
Then too, observation from railway
trains often results m statements which
eXaggerate the amount of barren land
in New England, and this has aided the
general impression. As a rule some OF
the poorest land lies in sight of the rail
ways, while the rest of this region is
by no means all of the same character
The tillable land is much more extensive
than is often understood the expert of
the Department OF AgricultlNa declares,
while the non-tllable land of New Eng
land is a valuable asset as grazing. or
woodland.
"l'he development of profitable farm
ing in New England land has not vet
gone so far but there are now many see
]
says a report just issued by the depart
ment. "Io make the production of crops
pay good interest on the value OF the
land il must, of course, be so chosen as
70 avoid the speculative values caused
by suburban or summer residences. or
in a few cases by over estimated farm
values. The very cheap land is often
to be avoided also because it is not fit
ted for farming and is at the moment
devoid of forest covering Some of the
cheap farms are not large enough in
acreage, or produce too little income per
acre, to keep a farmer and his family.
Such farms, however, may form desir-
able parts OF a larger farm business
Most of the real farming is done on
land valued at from $40 to 800 per acre.
and the greater part OF it is perhaps on
the land worth from S25 60 500 an acre,
the whole farm taken together"
With this conservative beginning the
report goes on to show I'M lust what
crops farming may be successfully un-
dertaken in this country usually so des.
pissed as farming land.
"The distinctive features of New Eng
land farming are due to the fact that
the region as a whole is particularly
adapted to the growth of grass and
trees" the report continues. $50. in
general. the kinds of farming which de
pend on tho grass crop predominate.
These kinds Of farming are profitable
supplemented by orcharding, and derive
great help from the presence of wood
land" Il is then pointed out that profit
able employment for the farmers and
their teams is furnished by the presence
of the woodland and orchurding work.
clay growing for the market on the
moist or loamy soils of New England is
moro profitable than corn growing in the
Central States" That statement, made
without modification whatever shows
lperhaps more than anything else in the
! statement, just how highly the expert
really regards the farming possibilities
OF the New England States. Corn has
long been the staple crop of the Middle
! Western States. The story of the far
mer who plows all daw down a furrow.
eats his lunch, and plows back home
just in time for dinner, is known TO
every schoolboy II has rather been rele-
gated To the rear by marvellous tales
OF traction plows and cultivation on the
most scientific scale imaginable
But for all that, and It may be- taken
for granted that the utmost careful in
vestigation preceded the making of sucl
a dat statement. clay growing for th'
market on the moist or loamy soils o
New England is more profitable thar
corn growing in the Central States.
Drawn to its logical conclusion. an acr
= of land on which hay is grown in New
England Is more valuable to the farme
in the long run than an acre OF tina
famous farming country in the middl
west, which is used for the production o
corn.
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