124 THE FARMER'S OUTLOOK 



years or more is the advantage of virgin soil 

 apparent. 



Extensive and intensive farming may both be 

 economic. Where land is cheap the cost of equip- 

 ping a farm with machinery for ploughing, 

 reaping, etc., looms larger than the cost of the 

 land. The farmer's object is to take as much 

 land as he can equip. Where the charges on land 

 are high, on the other hand, careful cultiva- 

 tion and manuring are of the first importance. 

 The foregoing especially applies to the pro- 

 duction of the lower priced agricultural products, 

 such as wheat. Where a specialised agricultural 

 industry, such as fruit, butter or cheese, is carried 

 on, the necessity of producing the best quality 

 restricts e tensive farming. 



While land which can easily be brought under 

 the plough is available and can be made to pro- 

 duce fair crops it is improbable that there will be 

 a demand for higher priced irrigated or re- 

 claimed land except for special purposes. W'ith 

 a settled agricultural policy at home considerable 

 sums would no doubt be spent on land improve- 

 ments as in the middle of last century, and these 

 would result in increased home production of food- 

 stuffs. It is not probable that there will be any 

 considerable increased production abroad from 

 irrigation, reclamation or intensive cultivation in 

 the immediate future. It should also be remem- 



