20 RURAL SOCIOLOGY 



FACTS NEW ENGLAND FACES * 



FROM 1860 to 1910, 828 New England towns lost in population 

 337,086. 



From 1860 to 1910, New England's improved farm lands under 

 cultivation decreased from 12,215,771 to 7,112,698 acres, a loss 

 of 42 per cent. 



From 1860 to 1909, New England wage-earners increased from 

 391,836 to 1,101,290, a gain of 359 per cent. 



From 1860 to 1909 New England's population increased from 

 3,110,572 to 6,552,681. 



New England is now producing less than 25 per cent, of her 

 food supplies, the other 75 per cent, and over coming from with- 

 out her borders. 



AGRICULTURE IN NEW ENGLAND 2 



KENYON L. BUTTERFIELD 



NEW ENGLAND as a whole is distinctively an urban region. 

 While northern New England, comprising Maine, New Hamp- 

 shire, and Vermont, has few large cities, populous southern New 

 England, which includes Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Con- 

 necticut, is dominantly urban. For example, the percentage of 

 rural population in Massachusetts is less than ten. Metropolitan 

 Boston, an urban center of perhaps 1,250,000 people, is the great 

 consuming center of the region, 'and it is supplemented by a 

 large group of important residence and manufacturing cities of 

 lesser size not far away from this center, as well as scattered all 

 over New England. At least 5,000,000 of the 6,000,000 people 

 in New England are consumers rather than producers of food. 



New England grows only a fraction of its food supply. Ac- 

 curate figures are not available, but it has been estimated that 

 probably this region has to purchase at least seventy-five per 

 cent, of its food supply from outside its borders. Furthermore, 



1 Adapted from "Real Preparedness at its Vital Point The Food Sup- 

 ply." Published by Hampden County Improvement League, Springfield, 

 Mass. 



2 Adapted from Breeder's Gazette, 72: 1154, December, 1917. Chicago. 



