9 



The rapid rise of the coal and steel industries has caused a great 

 increase in the population of the western part of the State. This 

 offered an excellent chance for an intensive system of agriculture to 

 supply these communities, but the farmers have not fully met this 

 great opportunity. Agriculture, at one time the chief industry of 

 the region, has been slowly going backward for many years. Its 

 decline is largely due to the effect produced by the sale of the coal 

 veins underlying the farms. Money so acquired has led many farm- 

 ers to retire with their families to the towns and has brought addi- 

 tional comforts to those remaining on then* lands, but has deadened 

 the activity and ambition essential to progressive agriculture. The 

 soil of many farms has deteriorated in fertility and productiveness 

 through ignorance of the proper methods of managing it or the best 

 crops for the soil. 



There still remains in southwestern Pennsylvania a great source 

 of coal to be developed, but the field is certain to shift. The coal 

 veins were first entered where they were most accessible. The future 

 development and progress of mining will be throughout Washington 

 and Greene counties, Pa., and in West Virginia,. There are places in 

 Westmoreland County where the principal vein, the Pittsburg, has 

 been exhausted ; in other localities in this county thirty to fifty years 

 will complete mining operations. In communities where prosperity 

 now depends wholly upon the mining industry, its conclusion will be 

 the first step hi a general decline. As the communities dwindle in 

 size, farming will continue, but less prosperously, and it will tend to 

 become extensive rather than intensive in character. The introduc- 

 tion of other industries is vitally essential to such localities, and one 

 of these should be the lumber industry, made possible by extensive 

 forest planting commenced at the present time. 



On nearly every farm there is some portion which has small 

 productive capacity and should be utilized for the growth of forest 

 rather than field crops. The use of such land for forest planting 

 would furnish an added and growing value to the farm. For all the 

 timber planted now there will be an excellent market at maturity for 

 mine timber, railroad ties, lumber, etc. Excellent railroad facilities 

 exist to furnish transportation of the products to the mines or to 

 the cities and towns of the region. The farmers, however, are not 

 sufficiently progressive to see the opportunity. 



The coal companies, to whom a future supply of mine timbers is of 

 so great importance, must take the initiative. The source of timber 

 supply is becoming farther and farther distant. Within a few years 

 a growing difficulty in securing pit props has been experienced, and 

 correspondingly higher prices are being paid each year. In former 

 years only oak was accepted for posts; to-day all kinds of wood are 

 utilized by the coal operators. The local timber supply adjacent to 



