The Connecticut labor press., 1920-01-10
Big Increase in Acreage
Unwise, Says Houston

lies in immediate and rapid expansion
of the acreage in farms. Others, OBJ
serving large tracts of unused land, de-
plore the great waste of our resources.
Still others explain the movement of
population from rural districts to cit
les by the nonavailability of land,
which they attribute to land monopoly,
speculation and other evils. The de-
mand for farm products, unlike the de-
mand for manufactured articles. does
not expand rapidly to meet large
increase in supply. There is ten
dency toward an equilibrium between
urban and agricultural industry. If
too much labor and capital are divert
ed from farming, the relative prices,
and consequently the relative profits,
of agricultural activity will increase,
and there will be tendency toward
expansion. IL this is excessive, how
ever, relative prices and profits win
tend to decrease and the industry may
suffer depression. The inelasticity of
demand for farm products sets very
decided limit at a given time to the
increase Of population and capital prof
itably employed In agriculture.
Large Fluctuations Net Desirable.
att is not In the interest OF produc-
ers or consumers to have large fuctu-
atfons In agricultural production.
There is always danger Of Cutting the
market and Of serious loss. The aim
rather should be to secure steady
flow of commodities of sufficient vol
ume to supply an increasing demand
at prices which will yield the farmer
q decent wage and fair profit on his
investment. It seems difficult to get
1t into the minds of some people that
farming is a business and must pay ::
that under modern conditions there
cannot be an unlimited number of
farmers. There could be a larger rro-
portion Of farmers to total population
IL each farm were self-sufficient and
produced no surplus of consequence.
but today the average farmer pro-
duces many times what he consumes
Of some things and is dependent for
his prosperity upon their profitable ex-
change for other articles which he
uses. There should be, and in the long
run there will tend to be, no more
farmers in the nation than are needed
to produce the quantity of products
which can be disposed Of at a profit.
There will be farmers enough lie the
business of farming is made profitable
and If rural life is made attractive and
healthful. The consumers must be
willing to pay prices for farm products
which will enable the farmers to pro-
duce them and to maintain satisfac-
tory standard of individual and COM
munity life. The nation also must be
prepared to omit nothing to improve
the countryside. It is of the first i'm
portance that satisfactory schools, with
courses Of study related to the prob
lens of rural life, be provided, that
good roads be constructed, and that
adequate provision be made to give
rural communities the requisite Sani-
tary and medical services. including
hospital facilities. When these re,
quirements are met, we shall not have
to concern ourselves as to the number
OF farmers and the adequacy of our
agricultural production. There will
then be no difficulty in retaining in the
rural districts sufficient number of
contented and efficient people. What
we need is not back to the land prop
uganda, but an acceleration of the
movement for the Improvement of the
countryside which will render. the
abandonment of farms unnecessary and
the expansion of farming inevitable.
Expansion During War.
'There is reason to believe that a
considerable expansion in farmland
area occurred during the war. The
acreage devoted to the 10 principal
crops increased 10.1 per cent from
1914 to 1918. Accordingly, the crop
area per capita increased from 1922
acres in 1914 to 3.33 in 1918, or 3.4 per
cent. This expansion probably result
ell in part from the use for crops of
land normally devoted to other pur-
poses, especially to pasture. However,
1t seems to indicate that the farming
industry has more than held its own
during the period. This conclusion is
confirmed by an increase not only in