Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-11-09
THE IMMIGRATION STREAK
By Frederic j. Haskin
" ASHINGTON, Nov 5.-While the
w population has increased 10 per

has barely increased at all-only IA per cent
to be exact.
This fact, that the amount of land which
is being cultivated is not increasing as fast
as Is the population, has been pointed out
before, but it is interesting to note that the
census officially confirms it, and also to note
just where the increases and decreases lie.
1t also seems especially pertinent to set
forth these facts right now. Neither of the
major parties seems to be taking very much
account of them. The appointment of real
dirt farmer" for secretary of agriculture has
been put forward by the politicians as rem
edy. Legislation has also been recommend
ed and will probably be passed, allowing
farmers to organize for purposes of selling
and buying. Nothing more is heard of the
project which was put forward so vigorously
during the war, for the government to create
more farms out of swamps, stumplands and
deserts.
Meantime, there is every prospect that,
unless something is done, our facilities for
producing food will soon fall far below our
needs. In 1900 it was found that the num-
Der of farms had increased about 10 per
cent in ten years, which probably meant that
the amount of land cultivated was increas-
ing about as fast as the population. This
year the number of farms only increased
about sixth as much as the number of peo-
pie. The next census may we'll show a de-
crease in the number of farms, unless some
thing is done in the meantime
Why Men Won't Farm
1t has been widely stated and implied that
the reason for the dwindling number of
farms in this country and for the tendency
of the food supply not to increase as fast as
the population, is found in the unwilling
ness of the young men to go on the farms
or to stay there. This, no doubt, is the rea-
son. But the implication is that they spurn
the farms, not because farming is unprofit-
able, but because they prefer bright lights,
moving pictures and all the other alleged al
lurements Of our great industrial cities
Representatives of farmer organizations
say this is not SO. They say that the country
is full of men who are not merely willing,
but anxious to farm, if only they can make
a good living at it. They say that this is
often impossible, except where the land is
rich, transportation facilities of the best, and
all other circumstances favorable. They say,
further, that it is very hard for the man who
wants to farm to get a farm. Farm lands
are held at very high prices in this country,
many thousand acres Of them lying idle To
buy unfmproved land and to put it under
cultivation is simply not paying PROPOSE
tion, it is said, except on large scale, and
not always then. In other words, the man
who has or can borrow few thousand dol
lars cannot profitably invest it in farm lands,
and that is one very good if not all-suffcient
reason why the number of farms has not in
creased.
What Figures Show
This view of the matter seems to be sus-
tanned in a way by the census figures. Aey
show the increase or decrease in the number
of farms in each state These figures prove
that the number of farms is decreasing in
nearly all of the northeastern states, and
in many of the southern and middle Allan
tic states, and that it is increasing, in some
parts very rapidly, in the west.
OF course, one would expect to find the
greatest increase in the west, where there are
still public lands and relatively sparse pop
ulation. Even so, the rapid increase in the
west would certainly show that men are
willing to farm where they can get hold of
land and farm it at profit. And the posi-
tive decrease in the east would surely seem
to prove that men are being discouraged in
that section.
The western states which show an in
crease in the number of farms are Arizona,
Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Min
nesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota,
Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wiscon-
sin and Wyoming, that is, practically all of
the far western states except New Mexico
Of the southern states increases are shown
by Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Oklahoma, South Carolina, North Carolina,
Tennessee and Virginia. But the increases
in these states are much smaller on an aver
age than those in the western states.
All of the other states show decreases in
the number Of farms. This means not only
that the number Of farms in New England
and the northeast generally is decreasing,
but that the number of farms in the middle
west, the traditional granary of America, is
decreasing. The west then, is doing more
than it's share to feed America. The south
is doing much, but the average increase in
that section scarcely keeps up with the in
crease of population. The middle west and
the northeast are steadily falling behind in
food production. They are looking more
and more to the west TO feed them
The West Leads
What, then, are the conditions which have
kept the west in a state of growing agricul-
tural productiveness when the rest of the
country has become decadent in that re-
spect? No doubt the rich young soil of the
region is one reason. No doubt another rea-
son is there are fewer industrial plants to
attract men to the cities.
Neither of these conditions be arti-
ficially altered, of course. The west is in
evitably the more productive part of the
and it's prime business is food pro-
duction, while the east is given more and
more to manufacture.
The rich soil and room are not the only
favorable conditions which account for the
increase in the west. In the west there are
both state and federal reclamation projects
upon which a man can get good land for
prices longtime credit And
state laws in the west are far more favor
able to the farmer than in most eastern
states Those who are inclined to decry the
league, which enables farmers
to own their own grain elevators and other
wise to exercise much control over the mar
keting of their products, may be the mum,
Der of farms increased As per cent, while
in Minnesota, where it has a headquarters,
the number of farms increased IA per
cent.
The northwest in general is the section Of
the country where the farmers are most
progressive and most successful in getting