320 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1951 



Military mobilization itself stimulates the rate of crop consumption. 

 Also, special military needs must be met. Castor oil, for instance, has 

 become essential to the operation of much modern military equipment. 

 Already thousands of acres are being diverted to the production of 

 castor beans, a crop new to American agriculture. 



This nation's huge industrial machine, the greatest in the world, 

 is leaning more and more on agriculture as a source for raw materials. 

 Soybeans, for example, are the raw material for more than four hun- 

 dred manufactured products, ranging from plastics to printing inks. 

 As industrial production continues to expand, so will the requirements 

 for agricultural production to support it. 



The population of the United States is increasing at the most rapid 

 rate in this century. We now number 150 million. Population trends 

 indicate that our numbers may swell to 200 million within a quarter- 

 century, making 50 million more mouths to feed and backs to clothe. 



Nutritional standards for a large segment of our population are 

 still too low for good health. Recent surveys show that to meet the 

 minimum dietary standards established by the National Research 

 Council, 40 percent of the families need more calcium, 20 percent need 

 more vitamin C and some of the B vitamins, and 10 percent need more 

 protein and iron. To meet these needs would require increased pro- 

 duction of fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, and meat. 



Obviously, the future requirements from agriculture will greatly 

 exceed current production ; and demand will grow progressively over 

 the years. 



PRODUCTION TREND IS UP 



Already the requirements from agriculture are high. Demand 

 has increased at a rapid rate during recent years, and production 

 has kept pace. Farmers are now producing at a record level. Out- 

 put is running about 40 percent higher than in 1935-39. Production 

 per hour of farm worker has increased about 50 percent during the 

 last decade. Per-acre crop yields have increased 30 percent above 

 prewar. 



There is good reason to believe that the present rising trend in 

 crop production will continue for an indefinite period, because the 

 forces behind it still have unexpended power. Furthermore, agri- 

 cultural science is busy developing more new technology. 



But let there be no misunderstanding. So far, the biggest con- 

 tributing factors to the upward trend have been mechanization, im- 

 proved crop varieties, crop-pest control, and better cultural measures. 

 Soil improvement, too, has helped on some farms, but hardly enough 

 to offset soil deterioration on other farms. On many farms soil fer- 

 tility is still on the downgrade. On our most productive lands in 

 the Midwest and the Great Plains, for example, exploitive systems 



