364 FARM AND SCHOOL PROBLEMS. 



Italy cultivates 92 per cent of her geographical area. 

 Austria cultivates 93 per cent of her geographical area. 

 Hungary cultivates 94.5 per cent of her geographical area. 

 France cultivates 95.5 per cent of her geographical area. 



PROBLEMS. 



1. The census of 1910 shows that there were 878,798,000 acres of 

 arable land divided up into farms in the U. S. ; if 54 per cent of this 

 land was utilized for growing crops, what was the number of acres cul- 

 tivated ? 



2. If the area of the United States is approximately 3 million square 

 miles, and 54 per cent of the arable land (878,798,000 acres) is under 

 cultivation, what per cent of the geographical area of the United States 

 do we use for growing crops? 



3. If we take into consideration the coming problems of equal 

 opportunities, the conservation of energy, and the economic production 

 of an abundant supply that will satisfy the demands of the consumers 

 of the United States the great problem of agriculture is not to increase 

 the number of acres to be tilled but rather to increase the quality as well 

 as the quantity of that which is in demand from the acreage that is 

 already tilled. 



If we will study carefully Fig. (2) showing a map of the 

 corn belt, it is easily apparent that the boundary of this great 

 agricultural region conforms to the trend of the Appalachian 

 mountains on the southeast, the Great Lakes' region on the 

 northwest and the great arid plains and Cordilleras on the west; 

 beyond these boundaries in the United States it will never be 

 possible to compete with this great grain producing region of the 

 Mississippi Valley, until ages hence when our mountain systems 

 have been worn by the elements into alluvial plains. 



This rich region is located in an ideal climatic, geographical 

 and commercial region, and its problem is the problem of in- 

 creasing its production steadily, doubling its production every 

 time our nation's population doubles. 



The trend of modern agricultural education is in the direc- 

 tion of a better knowledge of the two great fundamental prin- 

 ciples of successful farming. 



1. Prevention of waste and loss. 



2. Increasing the quantity and improving the quality of products. 



