LAND CLASSIFICATION 231 



area could be made to support a gradually increasing population to five 

 times the present by gradually increasing the intensiveness of culti- 

 vation. Forests form the most economic use for wide areas of land 

 not needed for agriculture or grazing. 



(e) The area of improved land could be considerably reduced if 

 it were desirable to have it more nearly coincide with the economic 

 requirements of the country for agricultural crops (allowing a certain 

 per cent for export) produced under reasonably good agricultural 

 methods. This would lessen the possibility of the agricultural industry 

 suffering from overproduction, which is so easily brought about for 

 any particular crop, whether locally or generally, and is the bane of 

 the farming industry. 



Professor Ely,^ the economist, is reported to have said that the land 

 situation is not that too great an area of good land is not now used for 

 agriculture, but that too great an area of poor land is so used. There 

 is too much counterfeit farm land in circulation, which is not needed 

 and should not be used for agricultural crops. 



n. 



Considerations of indirect utility of forests include : 



(a) Climate, including effects of forests in leveling extremes of 

 temperature of the air and soil, effects on the moisture or humidity of 

 the air, on the movement of water in nature, and on rainfall. 



(b) Soils, in increasing their fertility, including the renewal of 

 worn-out land. 



(c) Streamflow and erosion, including the retarding effects on run- 

 off of storm water and improved conditions for storage of water. 



(d) Water supply, health, esthetic and recreational uses of forests, 

 for which reasons alone a farm with a well located grove of trees often 

 has a higher sale value than one without. 



(e) Military tactics and strategy. 



(/) For convenience of home use — fuel, posts, and other uses. 

 (g) As a windbreak for buildings and crops. 



(h) As furnishing work for man and teams at slack times of the 

 year. 



" Professor Ely is Director of the newly formed Institute for Research in 

 Land Economics. Membership in this institute is especially desirable for and 

 open to all interested in land utilization problems. 



