Maladjustments in Land Use 



tation, and rertain other relief activities. Tho func- 

 tions and duties of tlie Rural Rpsettlenient Adminis- 

 tration as prescribed in the Executive order consist of: 



(a) To administer approved projects involving resettlement 

 of destitute or low-income families from rural and urban areas, 

 including the establishment, maintenance, and operation, in 

 such connection, of communities in rural and suburban areas. 



(b) To initiate and administer a program of approved proj- 

 ects with respect to soil erosion, stream pollution, .scacoast 

 erosion, reforestation, forestation, and flood control. 



(c) To make loans as authorized under the said Emergency 

 Relief Appropriation .\ct of 1935 to finance, in whole or in part, 

 I he purchase of farm lands and necessary equipment by farmers, 

 farm tenants, croppers, or farm laborers * * ». 



To the extent necessary to carry out the provisions of this 

 Kxecutivc order the Administrator is authorized to acquire, 

 by purchase or by the power of enu'nent domain, any real prop- 

 erty or an.v interest therein and improve, develop, grant, sell, 

 lease (with or without the privilege of purchasing), or otherwise 

 dispose of any such property or interest therein. 



The lands purchased or to be purchased vuider the 

 present administrative procedure are contemplated 

 for certain uses, which fall in the main tuider forestry, 

 recreation, wildlife preservations, Indian lands, graz- 

 ing, and demonstrational projects. Insofar as possible 

 the administration of these piu'chased lands is being 

 referred to those established Government agencies 

 which are concerned with the particular use for which a 

 given area is intended. In some instances it is prob- 

 able that cooperation with the States will be undertaken 

 for the administration of such lands. 



The Long-Time Program 



The character of current financing for submarginal 

 land purchases is not such as to place the present 

 purchasing activities in the category of an assured 



49 



long-time land program. As previously noted, there 

 are 454,000 farms which may be classed svs suhmnrgiiiMl, 

 and which it is i)roi)osed to retire from arable farming. 

 There is a total of 75,345,000 acres in these farms; 

 of this acreage, 20,163,000 acres, or 27 percent, are 

 crop land; 34,883,000 acres, or 47 percent, are pastin-e 

 land; and 20,298,000 acres, or 23 [lercent, are other 

 hind such as woodlands, farmsteads, etc. (See tables 

 III and IV for a more detailed account of the ciiarncter 

 of these acreages.) The total value of these far-ms is 

 estimated to be about .$6S2,0!)0,0()0. This would 

 give an average value for the 7."), 000, 000 acres of jibout 

 $9 per acre. There is still left a great amouul of land 

 foi' which no provision for purchase exists at i)resent 

 with res[)ect to fimds. However, since the j)urchases 

 and the options on ImikI up to the present (June 1, 1935) 

 have been confined for the most ])art to particularly 

 poor sections, it may be expected that the first moii(\vs 

 spent will purchase a greater acreage per unit cost than 

 most of the future expenditures. 



Also, since an adequate submarginal-land program 

 must of necessity be conceived on a long-time basis, 

 the administration of and administrative machinery 

 for such a program will reed to be worked out. Certain 

 aspects of land problems are being handled by agencies 

 definitely established in contetnplation of long-time 

 activities, for example, the work in forestry, agricul- 

 tiH-al economics, national parks and recreation, soil 

 conservation, reclamation and grazing. The character 

 of such activities and problems are set forth in other 

 sections and parts of this report. Certain other aspects 

 of land problems are being acted upon by governmental 

 and other agencies, but without the same elements of 

 assured continuance; and some aspects have received 

 little or no action at all. 



Table III. — Xumber and area of farms, acreage of crop land, pasture, and other land, and valne of real estate on farms proposed to be 



retired from arable farming ' 



Region 



Number 

 of farms 



Total 



Crop land 



Pasture land 



Land in 



woodland. 



farmsteads. 



etc. 



Estimated 



ralue, real 



estate as of 



1934 



1. Northeastern Highlands, -- - 



2. Southern Highlands and their margins 



3. Southeastern hilly cotton and tobacco - - - 



4. Oreat Lakes cut-over _ 



."j. ,\tlantic and Oulf Coast cut-over 



fi. Pacific forest and cut-over 



7. Western Oreat Plains 



8. California valleys and foothills 



9. Columbia Basin - . - - 



10. .\rid grazing and irrigated 



II and 12. Northeast and Central agricultural 



14 and l."). Gulf Coast prairie and Mississippi Delta 

 in. Middle coastal plain 



Total 



Xiimber 

 iO. 300 

 12.S, 500 

 122,700 

 27. 500 



30, .wn 



13, 300 

 20. 000 

 9, .WO 



2, son 



7. 300 

 15, 400 

 Ifi.fiOO 



0, 800 



454,200 



Acres 

 6, 534, 500 

 9. 085, 700 



10, ,368, 000 

 3. 437, 500 

 1,828,100 

 3, 039, 000 



2S, 365, 900 

 3.203.000 

 3, 244, 000 

 2,512,400 

 1.631,300 

 1.43I,6(K) 

 601, 200 



75, 345, 200 



Acrts 



1,6,58,300 



1,815,200 



2, 957, 000 



1.100,000 



.548. 400 



332. 700 



7, 306, 700 



6il8, 700 



543, 000 



72S, SOO 



666, 100 



.509. SOO 



298, 700 



1,.54: 



20, 163, 400 



Acres 



1.909. .500 



2. 404. ?00 



874. 100 



550.000 



274, 200 



1,702,600 



20. 739. 400 



2, 369, 200 



1.604.100 



1.472. .500 



460,:iOO 



493,600 



28,900 



Acres 



■2. 966. 700 



4.865.700 



6. 536. 900 



I, 787, .500 



1, 005, .500 



1,00.3,700 



319,800 



135, 100 



96. 600 



311.100 



507,900 



428,200 



333, 600 



34, 883. 500 



20,296,300 



DMars 



108. 476, OCO 

 90. 857. 000 

 62, 208, OOO 

 51,56,3,000 

 9, 141,000 

 24,312,000 



170. 19.5. Ol») 

 64. 060, 0('0 

 32. 440, 000 

 10. 0.50. 600 

 32. 6S6. OCO 

 21,474,i;0fl 

 4,62s.(;flO 



882.090.000 



' Preliminary estimates based on reports from the State land-planning consultants. 



