The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1927-05-06
FARM TO CITY AND THE RESULT

Again there is cry of alarm because OF The mgraton
from the farms to the cities This time it is raised by
Secretary Of Agriculture Jardine commenting on the
figures which show that the farm population OF thc
country decreased by 10000 in 1920. But the
secretary views the future rather than the present with
alarm He points that much OF the shut OF popua-
ton in years due the necessary defapn IN
agriculture in the years following the There we're
100000 farms in the United States in 1910 During
the years, the number increased by about loV
.0O0 Now it is back about the number OF WV but
there are 46,000000 under cultivation. DO
Il conditions remain they may be able to get
along all right but If the abandonment OF the farms con-
tinues the rural regions III the opinion OF Mr. Jardlne,
will be SO far depopulated that the country will not be
able to raise food enough for lis needs. Hence the
urgent necessity OF prompt measures 10 keep le iaIh
population the farm.
Assuming that The attempt TO halt the movement to
the cities is not successful and production falls below
demands what then? Mr. Jardine foresees an era OF
higher prices for foodsufs His idea is that serious
shortage the food supply would send prices to point
at which farmers could make profit that would attract
others into the business But the reclamation OF aban-
doned farm lands would be slow process. There is,
however, dissent from this opinion There are those
who prophecy that prices would be held near present
levels by increasing imporiaons from abroad ana hat
the evil would be much OF high prices as one
involving loss of the power and independence
that accompany approach to freedom from reliance
on other parts Of the world for the necessares OF life
Americans have always enjoyed favored position with
reference to the food supply. While great quantities OF
foodstuffs are imported into this country it is because
of convenience and the demand Of appetite for
varied diet rather than because it choice between buy
lug food abroad going hungry. But il Americans con-
tinuc TO move from the farm The town the time may
come when the Nation will import food matter OF
sefprescrvaiion.
On the other hand we may be approaching
revolution in agriculture which will lead to greater pro-
eluction with much lessened employment of human
hands, There may yet be applied to farming modern
methods of Iargescae operation Agriculture, like man
1facure before it, may become field for the corpor-
alton Farming hugh scale, with the assistance OF
labor-saving machinery of types now unknown, may
succeed preseni-day practice We may be coming to the
time when agricultural aborers will live far from their
work Millions of city dwellers travel five miles
: 10 their places of employment The worker Ill rural
regions may the future take such daily journeys
spreading lands and sysiemazed operations, may work
its employees in shifts work in factories and
founeries on street railways and in many other
pations II would be case OF applying Big Business
methods to the field The orchard and The dairy.
Such description of farming in the future may,
perhaps be regarded in The light of present conditions
as speculation incurson into the realm OF fancy
rather than Of fact but the change would be more
extensive than that which has with the extinction
of the od-lime household industries through the develop
of the factory system. La the meantime, 1t is
matter concern Mr. Jardnc says, find that nearly
len years after the close of the war; the agricultural
population of the country, in It's proportion to the whole
is not stabilized and that there would seem to be
prospect of calling halt in the parade from the country
to the CITY, There force in the contention that here
one of the of the problems with which the
Nation is called upon to deal.