DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES 321 



acreage report was secured for vineyards and orchards. Without 

 attempting to make an absolute estimate of the probable number 

 of acres of improved land devoted to these branches of agricul- 

 ture, it is easy to show that at least 8,000,000 acres of land, 

 probably 10,000,000 acres, were used for these purposes in 1909. 

 Much more important than the land occupied by fruit and nut 

 trees and vines is the very large improved area in pastures. In 

 the northeastern part of the United States especially, where the 

 farmers have learned to rotate their crops and where the live- 

 stock industry is important, improved pasture land is an impor- 

 tant feature of the average farm. It is my belief that in a large 

 part of the country the improved land not reported in specified 

 crops is largely used as improved pasture land. In other parts of 

 the country, where rotation and diversified agriculture have not 

 been introduced, it is very common to leave land lying fallow 

 after it has been cropped four or five years in succession. This 

 land is reported as improved although not actually in use in 1909. 

 In addition to the vineyards and orchards it is easy to account 

 for about 20,000,000 acres of land in the house yards, barn yards, 

 and lanes of the farms of this country. Even this estimate allows 

 only 3 acres for each farm. 



One of the movements of the present century must be a more 

 complete utilization of the improved land. Land lying fallow 

 must be brought into constant use ; land now reported as im- 

 proved pasture must be made more productive, and it may even 

 be part of the movement to do away with improved pasture land 

 in due course of time, inasmuch as larger quantities of product 

 could be raised on the same land and fed to the animals in an- 

 other way ; and woodland and other land not improved must be 

 converted into good pasture land. 



The expansion in agriculture during the twentieth century will 

 therefore be in marked contrast to the expansion during the 

 nineteenth century. During the last century, as noted above, the 

 great movement was to the West, the ordinary course was to 

 locate a piece of land which required comparatively little labor 

 to bring it into use, claim it, and convert it into a farm. The 

 movement during the twentieth century will be along four distinct 



