UNCLE SAM'S BIGGEST BANK ACCOUNT 25 



underbrush form small basins which check the force of 

 the surface water. In China, land which is quite subject 

 to erosion is terraced in order to keep the soil in place. 



The farmer of the present faces a far different situ- 

 ation than the tiller of the soil a generation ago. Then 

 if his fields showed signs of exhaustion there were 

 virgin lands farther west to be had almost for the ask- 

 ing and he could acquire another farm and start anew. 

 Today there is no possibility of wholesale exchange of 

 old lands for new, for out of the 280,000,000 acres still 

 owned by the Federal Government approximately 

 5,000,000 acres are capable of tillage when water is 

 available. Moreover, at present there is very little land 

 to be obtained from a generous government. The era 

 of splendid giving is past. 



No country has been more lavish with its land. 

 Homes could be had almost for the asking and to en- 

 courage the opening up of the "West with wagon and 

 railroads enormous tracts have been given altogether 

 an area five times the size of Pennsylvania has been 

 granted to the railroads and a large proportion of these 

 holdings are still owned by the large corporations in- 

 stead of being split into small holdings as the Govern- 

 ment intended. To schools in but thirteen of the 

 Western States 67,000,000 acres were given, while the 

 swamp land withdrawn from the public domain and 

 granted to the States totaled 64,000,000 acres. Both 

 are princely gifts. With the passing of the era of free 

 land we have left behind the pioneer stage of national 

 development. From now on it means careful use of our 

 agricultural acres in order that we may feed the hordes 

 that the coming centuries will see upon our land. 



Waters. In addition to the marvelous land resources 

 which were originally owned by the nation, Mother 



