The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1920-01-07

at prices which will Yield the farmee
q decent wage aud q fair profit on bis
investment. IL seems dlmcult to ct
It into Che minds Of some peopl1 th4k..
farming 10 I business and must pay;
that under modern conditions there
cannot be an unlimited number q
formers. There could be q larger pro
portion Of farmers to total population
II each farm were self-suficient and
produced no surplus Of consequence.
but today the average farmer pro-
duces many times what he consumes
OF some things and II dependent Tor
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 II 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 q satisfac-
tory standard Of individual and com.
munity life. The nation also must be
prepared to omit nothing to improve
the countryside. 1t 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 SAM.
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 q sufficient number Of
contented and efficient people. What
we need Is not q back to the land prop
uganda, but an ae%celeration 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 1O.1 per cent from
1914 to 1918. Accordingly, the crop
rea per capita increased from 1922
acres in 1914 to 9.8S in 1913. or 9.4 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.
It seems to indicate that the farming
industry has more than held its own
during the period. This conclusion ID
confirmed by an increase not only in
the per capita production of nearly all
the important crops, but also, accord
ing to a recent report, in the number
Of cattle and swine per capita. More
over, estimates for milk, eggs, and
poultry indicate an increase in per
capita production during the war;. In
view Of these facts, it probably would
be unwise to stimulate a large increase
In the per capita farm acreage at the
present time, especially where such an
increase would have to be effected by
utilizing land which is inferior or
which would be made available at q
heavy outlay for drainage, irrigation
or clearing.
Land Settlement Problems.
"At present various private agencies
are engaged in promoting land settle
ment. Many Of them are honest in In
tention, promise and practice; others
keep within the letter Of the law but
through ~exaggeration and %indirection
Of statement, create false impressions
In the mind Of the settler. Many VIC.
late no canon of fair Business practice
but their interest is in profits. and
they do not pursue a policy calculated
to develop a profitable and wholesome
community life. Only a few have made
careful studies Of the conditions OF
successful settlement and developed
their business with q view to the set
tiers progress and success. Practi'
cally all are seeking to realize the
highest possible price for their unde'
veloped holdings, and the settler Il
compelled to face the problem Of ad'
justment to pioneer conditions while
carrying a burden Of land value which
often represents, in part, the capital
ization Of a future Increase In earning
power.
'The intending settler Of small
means is rarely able to distinguish be
tween the good and bad methods Oh
selling land In new regions. The more
INSCRIPTIONS the land company the
more lurid its advertisement and thu
more extravagant its promises. Set
tiers often are induced to invest al