Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-15
BANKER TELLS OF
GREAT FARM LAND
WASTE IN THE NORTH
Declares 921,996 Acres
Were Agriculturally A
Abandoned in 1910 in
Pennsylvania, Maryland
and Virginia.

RICHMOND, Va. oct. 15.-Today's ses-
sion of the American Bankers Associa-
tion, now in annual convention here, was
given over largely to an agricultural
| symposium" one of the principal speak
ers was cyril G. Hopkins, director of
| agriculture of the Southern settlement,
and Development Organization, of Balti-
more, and professor of soil and crops at
| the University Of Illinois.
Mr.. Hopkins, who spoke on soil Fertil-
ity" declared that the money spent on
the Panama Canal might far better have
been devoted at this time in our national
history, to the investigation Of American
sois-.to securing necessary information
and to the demonstration of its practical p.
application in profitable systems OF per-
manent soil Improvement, contrasted with
the past and present systems of SOIL
robbing. land ruin and farm abandon. r.
ment. -,
He also made the startling statement
that a21, ,go6 ncres of land farmed In 1900
were found agriculturally abandoned ins'
1910 in the states of Pennsylvania, Mary
land and Virginia This, he said, exceeds
the total area of improved farm land in
Rhode Island and Delaware combined, -
OUR AGRICULTURAL WASTE. '
'If state like Maryland should en-
tirely stop farming said Mr. Hopkins.
"the people of responsibility and influence
in the United states would promptly
wake UP, and the startling fact would
be given the widest publicity at home and
abroad, with resulting investigation ara d"
remedy; but the fact that farm land far'o
in excess Of the total land area of Mary
land has been agrculturally abandoned
in the north Atlantic and New England Z
States during the last 80 years is COM I,
monty unknown and almost unnoticed. ~.
From 1850 to 1910 the area of improved.
farm land EARNED land) decreased by a
o e09. s34 acres in New England. New
York New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This :
aggregate of agriculturally abandoned -,
farm land is double the area of New ID
Jersey: it is greater than Maryland and, 4,
Delaware combined: II exceeds the total, >,
area of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and az
Connecticut. e. {
1.-THE two preliminary causes for the de- ~
crease in productive power and the final -
agricultural abandonment OF these vast -
areas of farm land are lack of knowledge -
and lack of profit in farming as compared
with industrial and commercial enter
prises A few men Of broad vision have =
seen the conditions. but their commentss
or warnings have heen largely ignored.
and as vet comparatively little has been -
remedy the basic difficulties"
VIII ELECT PHILADELPHIAN
Final preparations were made here this
morning for the election OF William A.
Law. president OF the First National
Bank Of Philadelphia. as president of the
American Bankers Association. The =
election is assured. az
Either Seattle or San Francisco will
get the 1915 convention of the association,
inanciers today declared. Seattles
chances appear best
James K. Lynch, Of San Francisco, will
oe elected vice president of the asso,
,iation.
Z. F. Harris, chairman of the Agri-
cultural Committee, presented his re-
1ort. He urged diversifcation of crops
n the South as a solution for the over
of cotton, saying that more
;rain. cattle and hogs should be raised
instead OF devotinE all the soil TO the 81
of cotton.
Logan Walter Page, Director of Ma
ional Highways, spoke on the necessity
f good roads, saving that they were
ecessary for the better DEVELOPMENT Of
he commercial and agricultural inter-
SITS of the country. r~e