30 The State and the Farmer 



Because of inability to secure labor, the fence- 

 rows and fences are often not as clean as for- 

 merly, and the roadsides have a shabby appear- 

 ance. Fields are often grown to weeds ; yet 

 these fields may be only resting until the owner 

 finds time to put them into crop, or they may 

 be used for light pasture, or they may be in 

 the process of returning to forest. Of course, 

 they are relatively ineffective pieces of prop- 

 erty, but the conclusion must not be reached, 

 because they are unkempt and not in use at 

 the time, that they are abandoned or that the 

 owner considers that he is obliged to desert 

 them. 



The significance of the general situation. 



It is unquestionably true that there is lessen- 

 ing utility of some of our farming lands. In 

 the face of this fact, however, three other facts 

 stand out prominently: (i) Markets are as 

 good as ever, for there is no decline in the 

 purchasing power of the people (rather there 

 is a reverse tendency); (2) the land is still pro- 

 ductive, notwithstanding a popular impression 



