Evening star., 1918-01-13

per cent live in cities. The percentage
of tenants in the farming sections, as
well as in the cities. is growing with
appalling rapidity. Hardly a half of
the arabic area of the United States is
occupied and scarcely a half of the half
SO occupied is actually being ,eulti-
waited. Is it surprising that we are
confronted by shortage of food?
many our surplus of food was rapidly
decreasing.
Something must be done. If prompt
action is not taken to make farm life
Inherently more attractive, this repub-
lie, although it contains enormous
reaches of remarkably productive soil,
Will be menaced by constantly mount
ing cost of food and the serious lower
ing Of American standards"
What is that something? Sheppard
answers colonization. So does Cur
tis. Organization" says Carver, which
practically is the same answer. What
the three men hope to see is real and
sensible movement of certain classes
from the cities to the country. In these
classes there would be Americans and
aliens men and women. preachers,
teachers. laborerS, lawyers and doctors.
The movement, in its first stages, is
under way. Senator Curtis has intro
duced i'll Congress what he calls war
measure. 1t is bill creating board
of administration to develop d practi-
cal standard for rural colonies and to
establish the same for dependent
families Of soldiers of the United States
and to make a national colonization
survey"
II start with the dependent families
of soldiers Senator Curtis said to the
writer. "My view, however, includes
thousands of others who will be pro-
vided for hereafter"
'At what money cost to the govern
ment?" the interviewer inquired.
None" Senator Curtis answered.
There are millions-hundreds of mil
lions-of acres of idle land in the United
States 1t is everywhere, almost, in the
east and in the west, and there are en-
pires of it in the south. The soil of this
land-of all land, in fact-has been stu
died and mapped. Go to the Department
you about the soil of township in
county of Indiana, Illinois, Massachu-
setts or Pennsylvania. States. too. have
information with respect to the soil
within their own boundaries.
There are all kinds of agricultural
information in this country. but it has
never been headed up. 1 would use it
cultivated lands of the United States.
The labor could be done with hardly
any expense. The classification would
show many essential things. If man
desires to purchase farm, under the
methods of doing business at present.
he goes to some one who is engaged in
selling lands. The fountain of knowl
edge in that event is the agent himself.
He wants to sell. His policy, therefore,
may be to tell only that part Of the
truth that will not hurt the commits
sion he hopes to receive.
Such a classification as I have in
mind would locate land that could be
Now most persons who want farms or
a few acres for themselves are not
competent to search and bargain for
themselves.
Likely as not if an editor in poor
health or for any other reason were
looking for a farm on which to grow
corn, he would buy one in Minnesota
near the boundary of Canada: If he
purposed to grow spring wheat he
would settle. probably. in Florida: He
might buy an orange grove in Michi- :
gan or sheep ranch on the sandy
plains of New Jersey.
II am using the editor. of course,
as an illustration" Senator
Curtis remarked, "and with no feeling
that a writing gentleman, in such mat
ters as speak of, is especially in need
of a guardian. But whether the would
be buyer of a farm is an editor or a
a man or woman, the
person SO determined should proceed
My proposed classification
would show climate and rainfall among
other things. Only dry-farming can
be done in certain regions. Irrigation
Is necessary in other sections. Apples
will grow better in one place than an.
other. 1t Is the Same with potatoes,
sugar beets, Strawberries, cotton and
beans. Tho classification would tell
the man who purposed to raise celery
where tos settle. II he meant.