The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-05-22
CAN'T FARM
! WHOLE COUNTRY
United States Has Billion
Acres That Cannot Be
Cultivated
80.
HAS 4S0,OOO,OO0
4 s ACRES ICULTIV ATED.
No Available Land for Settlement in
the Corn Belt, Says Department of
Agriculture-Most Productive Land
in the World-Other Land Figures.

NEW YORK, May 22444The war-time9
with nationwide regulations for business
kcenness to jump to the conclusion that
farming viii always be as profitable aud
desirable an occupation as it has been
has brought many more to the belief that
all our returning soldiers should go to
producing food, and to propose means
for providing a farm for every fighter.
To get a basis to work from in consider
ing these proposals scientists of the de- /
partment of agriculture have got together
some figures that may disillusion not a
few hopeful ones. To begin with, more
than half the land in the United States
TT for cultivation was i'll crops 10 years
ago. This proportion has steadily in
| creased Then there must be eliminated
the corn belt" where none but a rich
man may own a farm. This is a wedge
shaped region east Of the Tooth meridian
and bounded BY line from southwestern
| Pennsylvania across Kentucky and Mis-
| Dakota and back across Minnesota. Wis
consin, and Michigan to Pennsylvania
in all about one-ffth Of the United States
It produces four-ffths OF the corn, three
iourths OF the wheat and oats, and three
iiiths of the hay crop Of the nation.
This belt most Of which can be plowed
easily and has a fertile SOIL is the most
productive area in the world devoted to
corn, which is the most productive per
laue Of the food crops
/ The United States has Approximately
$50, 100000 acres OF land As per cent Of
the countly's land area-in crops or avail
able for crop production.
OF this amount approximately 10000
90 acres were improved land in 1910; the
remainder consisting Of 200,000,000 acres
OF potentially arabic forest aud cut-over
, land, 60000,000 acres of swamps and other
wet lands needing drainage, 30000.000
acres OF potentially irrigahle land and
, labout S0,000000 acres of unimproyed land
other than woodland
/. Over l,000eQ0,0 900 acres Of land in the
United States are mt adapted to cufti
walton, Of which at least 360010000 acres
rnay be used for forests aud about 600,
000000 Tor grazing In addition there are
about 40,000.00o acres Of desert land, and
100000 acres of land in cities, rura
highways, and railroad rights Of way, Al
amount which will gradually increase
t with increasing population
+ Much OF the honorable land within Tx
! domain of Uncle Sam consists 81 lane
5 once farmed and now abandoned, as wei
{ as areas which no one has thought i
; worth while trying to make into farms
I Topographic and climatic conditions ar
Z Of primary lmpGrtonce il explaining WIN
I 50 large an area remains unimproved
y Nearly one-ffth of the United States i
e too hilly or rough for the successful pro
Il dnetion 81 crops This mountainous b
Z stony land, where rainfall IS sufficient
{ is adapted TO forests, and where tn
7 rainfall is light IS grazed BY rowing flock
e of sheen or by cattle Lack az suffieien
o rainfall is responsible for the absence o
crops in nearly one-third Of the Unite
&c States
. Another factor restricting the cultivat
cd area is the length Of the growing sea
II son. Over a large extent Of elevate
q land in the West and also in the Adj
r. rondacks and nart of Maine. the averag
u growing season is less than 80 days, Will
70 irosts may occur during the snmlnel
III There is also much land where the So
IS is too sandy or infertile for the nfotf
le able production Of crops. Such soils al
lie better adapted to forests, and whe
ID cleared for agricultural use are general
$ soon allowed to grow up again in brus
Il and trees
a About one-ffth Of billion acres of tn
at cut-over land and woodland in the Unite
States might be cleared ND and the stumr
removed so that the land would be avail
Of able for productive farming. Howeve
Id this work would involve heavy expend
I'd lures and on this account clearing
slow, as farmers usually prefer to locat