No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 409 



the population of our country, and especially, the alarming increase 

 in our cities, makes it apparent that the greatest problem before the 

 farmers of our fair country at the present time is the conservation 

 of soil fertility, and its economical increase. Another half century 

 of the reckless and wasteful manner of using the soil, as has been 

 done in nearly all sections of our country, will see the highest cost 

 of living that has ever afflicted any nation. 



The United States report gives a comprehensive view of the crop 

 of this country'. One of our local papers gives a little better idea 

 of the intensive farming of Pennsylvania. It is as follows: 



"GREAT FARM STATE. PENNSYLVANIA LEADS ALL THE 

 OTHERS IN INTENSIVE FARMING. PRODUCED FIVE PER 

 CENT. OF THE CROP VALUE ON LESS THAN FOUR PER 

 CENT. OF THE ACREAGE." That the State of Pennsylvania is 

 leader in intensive farming, the doctrine of which is being preached 

 by the State College and the Pennsylvania railroad, is indicated by 

 statistics just compiled by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company for 

 1910 which show that Pennsylvania last year had 8,384,000 acres in 

 cultivation in corn, barley, buckwheat, hay, oats, potatoes, rye, to- 

 bacco and wheat. This is 3.503 per cent, of the total of 239,343,800 

 acres under cultivation in these crops in the United States, and the 

 average value per acre in the State of Pennsylvania was |20.56 as 

 compared with |14.53 for the average value per acre throughout the 

 country. These figures are of special interest to the I'ennsylvania 

 Railroad, Avhich in the past four years has been conducting an active 

 campaign in the interests of scientific farming. Much instructive 

 literature has been disseminated by the railroad company in pamphlet 

 form, while farmers' special educational trains have been operated on 

 various divisions from time to time. In this work the railroad com- 

 pany is co-operating with the State Agricultural Department and 

 the State College of Agriculture. The Pennaylvania railroad recently 

 announced that it had found its farming campaign a profitable one 

 and that it intended to prosecute it vigorously during the present 

 winter. Arrangements are being made for demonstrations and lec- 

 tures to be given in various parts of the State of Pennsylvania. The 

 country's total farm crop value of barley, buckwheat, corn, hay, oats, 

 potatoes, rye, tobacco and wheat in 1910 was |3,478,417,773 and Penn- 

 sylvania's share of this was |172,362,500, or approximately five per 

 cent, of the total, with only 3.5 per cent, of the acreage. Added 

 interest is given to these figures in view of the fact that in 1909 

 Pennsylvania's acreage in the above crops was 3.547 per cent, of 

 the total of the country, with the percentage of the farm crop value 

 for Pennsylvania of 4.311, compared with 1910. Pennsylvania's per- 

 centage of acreage decreased, but her percentage of the revenue in 

 these crops increased. 



