138 THE FARMER OF TO-MORROW 



main the floor space of the American farmer 

 the land actually under cultivation and pro- 

 ducing food and clothing. 



We have seen that to-day 310,000,000 acres 

 are being plowed. To this we can add 77,000,- 

 000 acres to be drained, 100,000,000 acres to 

 be cleared of brush and stones, 35,000,000 

 acres to be added by additional irrigation en- 

 terprises in the West, and lastly, 150,000,000 

 acres now nominally in farms, but producing 

 nothing but scant pasturage because of lack 

 of drainage, grading, or clearing. That gives 

 us a grand total of 672,000,000 acres. 



It is interesting to note, in conclusion, how 

 this estimate of 672,000,000 acres of improved 

 land in the United States compares propor- 

 tionally with European countries which have 

 long since passed through the period of rec- 

 lamation, with a single exception of Russia. 



The table on the following page shows the 

 comparison at a glance. 



In addition to the land actually under the 

 plow, there must always exist as an adjunct 

 to any system of agriculture a considerable 

 area devoted to grazing and wood-lots. The 

 bulk of the Great Plains region, unsuited to 

 any form of farming feasible in the present 



