THE EMBARGO ON FARMING 199 



on the land at the price which he has to pay 

 for it. 



The rapidity with which land has increased in 

 value in recent years is indicated by the census 

 returns. In 1900 the farming land of the United 

 States had a value of $13,058,007,995. A decade 

 later it was valued at $28,475,674,169. In ten 

 years' time farming land increased in value by 

 $15,417,666,174 or 118.1 per cent. The value of 

 the land per acre increased 108.1 per cent. Dur- 

 ing this period the increase in farm acreage was 

 but 4.8 per cent., and the number of persons en- 

 gaged in agriculture but 11.2 per cent. The in- 

 crease in the value of agricultural land was not 

 the result of increasing acreage under cultivation, 

 nor yet in the number of farmers. The increased 

 value was a monopoly value, due to the enclosure 

 of the free land, and the increasing pressure of 

 population upon the soil. It is an "unearned in- 

 crement," a social value due to the necessities of 

 society and the increase of population. 



The cheap land of our fathers has disappeared 

 just as the free land of our grandfathers disappeared 

 a generation earlier. And dear land places an em- 

 bargo on farming. It explains the drift to the 

 city. It drives the sons of farmers away from the 

 country. They cannot buy land. It is held at a 

 price beyond its economic value. And men are 

 unwiDing to become tenants or agricultural laborers 



