8 THE HIGH COST OF LIVING 



of the nation, many consequences have followed, 

 consequences which are directly traceable to the 

 neglect by the nation of fundamental economic con- 

 ditions which must coexist if sufficient food is pro- 

 duced on the one hand and sufficient food is con- 

 sumed on the other. 



It is true, the Federal Government has elevated 

 agriculture to a place in the cabinet. Congress 

 appropriates annually over $20,000,000 for the 

 maintenance of the Department of Agriculture. It 

 gathers information; it encourages production; it ad- 

 vises the farmer about soil, planting, and the care of 

 his farm; it studies soils and the breeding of cattle; 

 it distributes market reports to aid him in the sale 

 of his produce. Nearly all of our States, too, main- 

 tain agricultural colleges for the training of boys and 

 girls in scientific agriculture. They teach dairying, 

 farm management, and the production of pedigreed 

 seeds. Farming is being elevated to a science and 

 the potential output of the land is being increased 

 by all these processes. And year by year science is 

 demonstrating that there is no known limit to the 

 yield which can be secured from the land. It has 

 been estimated that 20,000 men properly organized 

 can feed 2,000,000. And the studies of agricultural 

 experts have shown that, with sufficient labor ap- 

 phed, enough food can be produced on a tiny bit of 

 land to feed a family. Agricultural science has al- 

 ready demonstrated that the limits to the possibilities 



