( 32 ) 



Women, children, and aged men constitute a part of the 

 normal farm labor reserve. Despite the great contribution to 

 the farm labor supply that has already occurred from the 

 tapping of this reserve, further contributions will have to 

 be made. 



Large Force Does Not Assure High Production 



The 1943 farm population is the smallest since 1910. Dur- 

 ing these thirty-four years the farm population has declined 

 about four million persons. The farm population declines a 

 little over 100,000 people per year. The net movement away 

 from farms averages about 500,000 people per year. The dif- 

 ference between the net movement away from farms and the 

 decline in farm population is due to an excess of births over 

 deaths, about 400,000 per year. 



Changes in farm population are characterized by unusual 

 rather than by usual or average changes. From 1930 to 1933 

 the farm population increased by almost two million per- 

 sons, upwards of 600,000 per year. This was due to the great 

 depression, when surplus farm population could not move to 

 the cities and the unemployed in cities drifted back to farms. 



During World War I the farm population declined 1.4 mil- 

 lion in two years. During the urban prosperity and low farm 

 prices of the twenties the farm population declined 900,000 

 in two years. 



With the draft of men into the armed forces and war in- 

 dustries during World War II, the farm population declined 

 2,400,000 in three years. This is the greatest reduction since 

 records were available. 



These unusual changes in farm population have had little 

 effect on food production. During the depression of the early 

 thirties the farm population increased and farmers produced 

 less food and feed crops (table 3). From 1917 to 1919 farm 

 population declined and food production increased. From 



