290 An American Fruit-Farm 



1 910 from twenty billion to forty billion dollars. 

 Now during this decade there was but a trifling 

 increase of land in farms, that is, less that five 

 per cent.; for the acreage in 1900 was 838,600,000, 

 and in 1910, 878,800,000; and the increase during 

 this time in improved land was only fifteen per 

 cent., that is, from 414,500,000 to 478,452,000 

 acres. The large fact is that farm-lands increased 

 in value chiefly because of better farming. 



No small part of the credit for this increase is 

 due to such men as Burbank and Bailey, and 

 particularly to the men who have charge of experi- 

 ment stations; and to such work as is done by the 

 Department of Agriculture at Washington, and 

 similar departments of the State Governments. 

 Our people seem at last to have awakened to the 

 enormous importance and almost infinite oppor- 

 tunities and possibilities of farming in its many 

 phases. 



What do all these big figures and big facts 

 amount to? "Where the treasure is, there is the 

 heart also," says the Book of Books. When the 

 American people have an investment of $40,991,- 

 450,000 does any one imagine that somebody's 

 ''heart" is not ''there also".^ Does any one 

 imagine that the millions of Americans engaged in 

 farming, if they have any conception of their own 

 interests, are going to permit a wanton waste of 

 from twelve to twenty-five per cent, of their in- 

 vestment annually? Or, will they awaken, save 

 this waste, and capitalize it? 



