The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-01-09
Imported Produce A
 Loss To New England
Nearly $500, ,OOO Tons Brought In by Four Railroads
 In One Year.


 land in New England were allowed to go back to the unti1lable state. About 56 per cent. of this was in Vermont nearly IT per cent. in New Hamp- shire, over 13 per cent. in Massachu- setts, and not quite one Der cent in Connecticut.
 This land represented in taxable property over $17s000, 900, but eco nomicalIy speaking it meant a great deal more than that when the fact is taken into consideration that to-day New England produces in the way of food probably less than 25 per cent of what her people consume. In food production these 879, ,499 acres repre- sented perhaps 38.750,450 bushels of POL 8o,O0O bushels of corn worth nearly SPA. .00O.0 .0o0, or a. hay crop worth $13,7O0,00O.
 Impressive as these figures are to those interested in the welfare of New England. they would assume sf bles to compare them with the amount of those different agricultural products which New England, through the neglect of her agricultural oppor- tunities, imports annually from the other States and which by proper use of the son could all be raised within her own borders.
 
 food products in any particular re- zion is g. matter for which it is hard to obtain statistics. While figures on production of agricultural and animal products are cocpi1ed by the Govern ment for the different States and di- visions of this country with a fairly reliable degree of accuracy, the pro portion the local food supply bears to the total consumption in any paTtic- ular section must be left largely to conjecture through the absence of proper statistics. Between l 900 and 1910 there was an increase in the ur-' ban population of New England Of 215 per cent and a decrease in the rural popqllAtion of 5 per cent. That. New England with such an urbesn movement of it's population is buying fore and more food outside of it's own borders is certain. That she could produce all this food and more rfculture is also certain.
 To get q ny sadeuUate idea of taa 4axao11rz4s Of food and reEt acl11aT7y thas amount If the differemt agrt tcllltl1raI products which New England buys from the zother parts of the country would be Impossible unless figures could be compiled of an Of these pre- ducts brought into this region in a# year by water and rail This would involve an enormous amount of labor But from statistics which have just been compiled of the agricuIturaI products brought in by four of her most important railroads in a year some idea. can be gained Of what New. England loses annually through | this failure to use the soil for food pro ductfon.
 The railroads taken were the Maine Central, the Boston and Maine, the New York, New Maven and Hartford
 
 year ending June 30, 1913, these four railroads brought into New England 3,593, 408 toms of agrfcuIt1faI pro ducts. This was over a half a. ton for each innabitant.
 Naturally over these railroads there are carried in a year many millions of tons of produce raised in New England, but these 3, 3,593, ,4OS tons rep resent only that which originated en- tirely outside of New England and were received by these railr pads from saredr outside connections, produce which passed in through the princd- pal northern and western gateweays of this region. It twill be obvious that not all of what New England buys in the way of food, however. comes in through these gateways, for there are the numerous Steamship Hines to be considered as we'll as other railroads. But the gateways mention
 
 of all the entrances which trade and commerce seeks to this section of the country and this tonnage certainly represents a large proportion of the total arnount of agric udtura1 products Imported.
 Of the total amount of agricultural products brought in by these four railroads in a year, a. little more than half consisted naturally Of grain or cereals. To be exact the total ton mage of grain amounted toS 1, ,958,224 tons. Undoubtedly large part of this was brought into New England mostly for export from Bosto h. = In from Boston 450,o0 tons .oe grain. But aside from the question of how much of the grain brought in by the railroads went actually to feed New Eng1anders. the fact remains that all of it could have been grown right in New England. Of these 1, 1,958, ,224 tons of grain no less than LAO, GOO tons probably could have been pro duced on the land allowed to go back during the census period to the un- cultivated state. At the average val lre per acre for cereal crops in New England, as reported by the census, this would have represented some thing Mkt $26, ,8OO,O0O. If all this grain brought into New England had been raised here it would have meant to New England farmers over $43,- 0OO,O
 The average yield per acre for ce- reals in New England, according to the Census, was 45.2 bushels. This was the highest recorded for any sec tion. For the United States as whole the yield was but 25.9 per acre. But there have been many instances where by use of the best methods much higher yields have been obtain Raaef KTr,xse -e~.. example, they have got $1O0 per acre from wheat Suppose that this re- turn had been obtained from these farm lands allowed to go back. Tn that event something like $88, ,08g,O00 would have been added to the value of New Eng1and's crops.
 Despite the need for more food