30 THE BUSINESS OF FAEMING 



with its small profit to the acre, who can success- 

 fully farm those lands. 



Again he raised his eyes and looked still west- 

 ward and sought more soils to conquer and to 

 pillage. He sighted the rich valleys of the 

 Golden State and swept down upon them, and 

 subjected these acres to the scourge of a con- 

 tinuous one crop growing of wheat until the soil 

 refused longer to give up its increase, so he 

 pushed on and on until the mighty Pacific stayed 

 his course. 



This conquering and pillaging of the fertile 

 soils of the Mississippi and Missouri valleys and 

 the plains of the West occurred chiefly during the 

 period of years from 1870 to 1895 when most of 

 these soils were subdued to cultivation. The 

 larger portion of these lands were bare of timber, 

 so were ready for the plow. It was a period when 

 improved farm machinery came into use which 

 resulted in extensive rather than intensive farm- 

 ing. 



The virgin richness of these soils for years 

 poured out their crop wealth to the farmer, and 

 while difficulties of transportation were encoun- 

 tered, yet the markets were congested with farm 

 products and vast quantities found their way to 

 the old country, and other nations were fed from 

 our farm products. 



The great cities and great manufacturing 

 plants were built and the progress of our coun- 

 try was wonderful, but as the fertility of these 

 lands was being slowly mined out, though crop 

 production increased, there was no money in 

 farming, farmers became land poor, and the 



