166 THE FARMER OF TO-MORROW 



selected soil and seed, the human factor counts 

 for little. For this reason wheat is continually 

 moving toward cheap land where it can be pro- 

 duced on a large scale with a small expendi- 

 ture of labor. Europe presents a striking il- 

 lustration of this fact. Mr. Frank R. Rutter 

 of the federal Bureau of Statistics was sent 

 abroad to make a study of the production of 

 cereals in Europe in 1907 and published his 

 findings in the pamphlet, "Cereal Production 

 in Europe." He found that during 1901-1905 

 the average yield of wheat in northwestern 

 Europe was above 25 bushels ; in southwestern 

 Europe, 16 bushels; and in eastern Europe 

 (Russia), 12 bushels. 



"It appears, therefore," he says, "that the 

 average yield per acre is highest where wheat 

 culture is less generally practiced, and where 

 the acreage under the grain shows the smallest 

 increase. In other words, the extension of 

 wheat area is most marked where the average 

 yield is lowest. * * * 



"That the extent of wheat culture should 

 vary inversely as the average yield per acre, 

 or, in other words, where the results are best, 

 the smallest areas are devoted to wheat, seems 

 at first sight paradoxical. It must be remem- 

 bered that a high average yield, such as shown 



