Evening star., 1925-10-11
GROWTH OF POPULATION
PROMISES FOOD CRISIS
Drift From Farms to Cities Leading to
Synthetic Food or Rigid Curb Upon
Increase, Census Indicates.

duction, whether in wheat or huma II
beings, is bad. We need better physi-
cal and mental production. not merely
quantity.
Q. Does the increase in population
during the last 10 years warrant such
a speculation?
A. 1t does. We increased by more
than 16,50o0o0 in the last 10 years.
Even with reduced foreign infux. we
are likely to do better by 1880, for the
added 100000 will have children.
too-and it all counts.
q. Do statistics prove anything?
A. Yes; all you have to do is to take
the population per square mile. IL
1890 it was As; in 1850 it had in
ased to 10. In 1860 it was 1916.
Then came great jumps. In 1890 it
had risen to 21.2. In 1900 it was 25.6;
In 1910. 500, and in 1920. $50.
Q. Are there any special sections.
aside from the wide open spaces of
| the West, where the increase has been
unusual?
A. Take Rhode Island. In 1900 il
had 401.6 Inhabitants to the square
mile. Ten years later this rose 4"
$685., and in 1920 to 1864. Mass
| chusetts is not far behind. with 47e.2
in 1920. an increase of 130. OF course
in some sections of the country there
of this land is unfit for agriculture
or. as a matter of fact. for anything
else. For instance. the per square
| mile population of Nevada is OF and
| has been that for the last 10 years
| Wyoming is the next most sparselN
| settled section. It's population is only
| 20. an increase of Just one-half per
son in 10 years. There are II States
whose population is less than 10 TO the
| square mile.
Food Chief Problem.
Q. Does not this indicate plenty OF
| room for more population
! A. For the present, yes. We need
not worry about room. Our worry
will be about food.
| Q. Where will that come from if
| the farmers stop farming?
| A. Imports and synthetic food. We
can import SO long as we have the
money to buy and other nations have
| the food TO sell. OF course if the drift
| TO cities continues. foodstuffs are
bound to reach great price heights
| Then the city dweller, lured by the
prospects of money. will go back t.
| the farm.
| Q. Is there any other way Of look
ing at population density:
A. The density of population ma '
! inhabitant, expressed in acres. The
| census statistics show that each ir-
| habitant here had theoretical 30
| acres in 1890. Ten years later this
| had shrunk to 25. In 1910 it had
| gone down to 20.7, and in 1920 to Is.
! This means a reduction of 40 per cent
/ in 80 years
! @. Has the center of population
| shifted much to the West, where
/ there is room.
| a. In 1890 it was % miles east Of
Baltimore; in 1860 it had rea ched Chi
/ licothe, Ohio: in 1880 it was 5
miles west by south of Cincinnati, il
| kentucky: in 1900 it was Q miles
southeast Of Columbus, Ind: in 1872"
| it was 1.s miles west of Whitehall
Ind. SO that the progress has been
comparatively small. What the fu
ture will bring. no man can say.
| Q. Now to the rural and urba n
population. Has there been mucli
change?
Drift to Cities Growing.
a. Decidedly. In 1880. 2s6 per cent
| OF the population lived in cities anu
towns, and ia in the rural sections
Ten years later the urban percentage
had risen to 1914 and the rural drop
ped to 64.6. In 1900 the rural popu
| latlon hdd gone down to 90 and the
urban risen to 40 Another 10 years
brought the urban up to ass and
dropped the rural still farther. down
to J4.2. The last census showed thai
the urban percentage was 5l4 and
the rural only 4S.6
| And then the busy doctor declined
| to venture anything further, content
! ing himself with giving me a huge
mass of statistics tending to prove
that we are a diversified country, with
many human beings capable of many
things. faced with the choice of syn
| thetic tomatoes and factory-made hor
dogs. or, on the other hand. with n
| scarcity of babies.