U.S. LAND PROBLEM

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 570, 24 January 1929, Page 13

U.S. LAND PROBLEM

FIVE MILLION SUPERFLUOUS FARMERS ! EXPERTS ADVISE OTHER WORK 1 As a first step toward solving the ] | economic problem of the American i farmer, at least 5.000,000 agriculturists f in the L'nited JSttues should quit farni- j ing and move to the cities, according to j | Ur. M. I*. Jarnigan, head of the animal i husbandry division. Georgia State Col- 1 lege of Agriculture, who was one of j 10 agricultural experts who have made • close study of the farm industry in ] England, Germany, France, Belgium i and Switzerland. In addition to these 10 experts. 17 i i others worked with the party in making the farm survey abroad, including j •T. N. Harper, director. Agricultural and j .Scientific Bureau, N. V. Potash Export ; My. (Potash Export Corporation of'l I Holland/, Ur. G. H. Collings, professor | "f agronomy, Clemson College, South ! Carolina: Prof. li. P. Stuckey, director, iand Prof. K. P. Bledsoe, agronomist, Georgia Experiment Station; Prof. 11. ! W. Burre, director, South Carolina Lxperirnent Station, Clemson College, ! S.C.;.Prof. T. C. Johnson, director, Vir- 1 ginia Truck Experiment Station; Prof. ■C. B. Williams, head of agronomy division, North Carolina Experiment i Station, Raleigh, N.C.; F. S. Farrar, district farm demonstration agent, ' Jetersville, Va.; Ur. Jarnigan and Prof, tJ. Phil Campbell, head of extension 1 division, Georgia State College of Agrii culture. Veterans in Research j The entire party worked together in making a survey of the agricultural stations and farms in France, and their t programme included visits to Gringun. I which is said to be the oldest agrricul- ! tural college in Europe; the Pasteur Institute, the French National Institute of Agronomy, the Institute of Horticulture and the Melhaus* potash mines. A j v isit was also paid to Kothainstead ■ Experimental Station. in England, Which was founded in 1843 and is rated as the oldest and finest institution.of its kind in the world. Findings of the group and data which are deemed of value to farmers In the United States will soon be released through the various educational institutions, the farm press and magazines. Ur. Jarnigan said that as a whole all farming in Europe is on a highly specialised basis, with available parcels of tillable; land farmed to the utmost. As illustration of this he mentioned that the Swiss engage in dairy farming on mountain tops above the timber line in spots so inaccessible that their product is a concentrated cheese, which is the only product that. could be transported to market at a profit. Decrease Crop Area “The lesson for the American farmer to bo learned from a general survey of the farm industry of the world,” Ur. Jarnigan said, “is that there should be less instead of more land farmed in the United Stales. The farmers in America will benefit greatly by following* the European practice of growing upon their land only tlfe particular crop that the land will produce best. By this method the yield per acre will be increased so that less land need be under cultivation. “Farmers who are not making a financial success of farming, owing to the unsuitability of their land for the crops they must raise for local markets, should join the millions of others from farms who are constantly going to the industrial centres and finding greater j remuneration for their work in the in1d us tries. A balance will be struck when at least 5,000,000 more farmers have made this move. These farmers turned industrial workers not only cease flooding the markets with produce for which they receive inadequate return, but .automatically would ; create a. greater market for produce.”