228 JOURNAI, OF FORESTRY 



ECONOMIC CLASSIFICATION OF LANDS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICUL- 

 TURE OFFICE OF FARM MANAGEMENT 



Economic classification of land resources by the Department of Agri- 

 culture came prominently to the front in the spring of 1919 when it 

 was considered in conferences held to re-organize the work of the 

 Office of Farm Management, and a Division of Land Economics, under 

 Dr. L. C. Gray, was formed and charged with this work. All Bureaus 

 of the Department were invited to be represented at the conferences. 

 The following is a resume of the findings of the committee on land 

 classification, appointed by the conference: 



Economic classification of lands is constantly shifting, due to changes 

 in prices and demands for products, market facilities, costs of pro- 

 duction, and size of farms, and population and demands of the local 

 community. These factors being equal, an economic classification at 

 a given time and in a given locality would be based on a number of 

 schemes of land classification, including: 



1. Physical and biological classification. 



(a) By soils. 



(b) By vegetation (cultivated or wild plants, or both). 

 2. Classification by use, actual or potential. 



(a) Farm lands. 



(b) Forest lands. 



(c) Grazing lands. 



3. Classification in relation to moisture. 



(a) Swamp lands. 



(b) Arid lands. 



Irrigable. 

 Nonirrigable. 



(c) Intermediate lands; that is, well drained or easily drained 



and with a natural, dependable moisture supply. 



Considering the comprehensiveness of the data required it v^as de- 

 cided that a large number of agencies should be interested in the task 

 of land classification, including the following : 



Department of Agriculture : 

 Bureau of Plant Industry. 

 Bureau of Soils. 

 Bureau of Crop Estimates. 

 Bureau of Animal Industry. 

 Office of Farm Management. 

 Forest Service. 

 States Relations Service. 



