The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-01-09

ing a decrease of .7= per cent though an increase inx value of 38.1 per cent, due to the higher prices. Only 6.2 per cent. Of the improved farm land of New England to-day is used for such crops. The production of cereals in 1909 was but 2. .57 bushels per per son. In Denmark, which has a large manufacturing population but where intensive agriculture is practised, the production of cereals is 38 bushels per person.
 In the case of corn New England has the highest yield and the high est value per acre. yet only 2-5 per cent. of the improved farm lands is used for this great staple of our food supply. It has been demonstrated time and again that by proper meth ods and careful seed selection 100 bush els of corn can be grown to the acre on New England land. These s879,50O acres of land could thus have produced 87,950.0OO bushels Of eorns representing in value over $88, ,O00,O00.
 While these 1.s5s. .224 tons of grain brought into New England by four of her railroads in year represent to this extent economic loss to this part of the country, it is ins theecase of hay and forage that there is per haps the most striking manifestation of the present neglect of New Eng lands agricultural opportunities. In the growing. of train much depends upon the means of disposing of it. New England towns are not equipped as are Western towns, with grain ele- vators, and this need must be sup piled before much grain will be grown here. But with hay it is different. Hay is to-day New England's greatest crop. Of the improved farm land 52.3 per cent is used to raise hay and forage Yet in the year ending last crJaf into New England 578,379 tons of hay. At the average price per ton for New England hay as shown by the Census the hay thus brought here by these railroads represented a loss to New England farmers through neglect of their opportunities of $7.300, 900.
 A little over one-halee of the total acreage abandoned could have pro- d1Dced all the hay brought in by these railroads. That hay is a profitable crop is shown by the fact that the value per acre of the hay raised in New England was $15.57. exceeded only by the Pacific States. In ten years there was an increase in the hay crop of New England of only 83,-# 041 tons and comparing the Census year 1909 with the 1899 there was a decrease in the acreage planted of 252.4 AFT acres. Only .717 tons of hay are produced per person in New
 
 Denmark.
 In recent years convincing evidence has been given that by the use of lime alfalfa can be grown luxuIiantly| in New England. Results obtained by many farmers in New England show that $100 worth of alfalfa hay can be grown to the acre. If, instead of being abandoned, these 879,450 acres of farm land had been planted to alfalfa. and the proper methods en- pIoyed the enorn ous sum of $87,e45,- 060. might have been realized.
 New England cannot raise any large quantity of melons and early fruits and vegetables, but it ought to raise all the vegetables ordinarily -consunl- ed. Yet in this same year the vege- tables brought in by. these railroads amounted to no less than S79,578 tons, or about 26S pounds of vegetables for every man, woman and child in New England. About $40, ,000, 900 worth of fruits and vegetables were