CHOICE OF A REGION 495 



ern States are an evidence of the exceeding difficulty of 

 making a living on farms in the region. Men do not 

 abandon their homes until they are forced to do so. With 

 a change in conditions, such lands may again be of use, 

 but a young man should give the problem very careful 

 thought before he locates in a region where the native pop- 

 ulation is being starved out. There are large areas in the 

 arid sections of the United States that have been settled 

 three times, and three times abandoned. Much of this 

 land will never be of any value except for grazing purposes. 

 Its settlement was each time based on the mistaken idea 

 that the climate had changed, or would change if the land 

 were plowed In some cases, a type of farming is being 

 followed that is not adapted to the economic conditions of 

 the region. Some semi-arid regions support a prosperous 

 community, others do not. 



Many times the feeble efforts of the native population 

 are sneered at by the newcomer or passer-by. The 

 farmers are blamed for their poor condition. It is well 

 to remember that the white population of America is all 

 one stock. This is hard to believe when one sees the slow 

 and shiftless walk in some sections. But to be convinced, 

 one needs only to see the transformation that takes place 

 when such persons move to regions where nature rewards 

 the toiler. Occasionally, the type of farming may need 

 adjustment, or lack of transportation facilities may be the 

 cause, but usually when one finds an entire community 

 of white farmers who are failing to live comfortably, there 

 is something other than the people to blame. We should 

 not too lightly condemn the experience of others. 



In general, the most prosperous agriculture does not 

 develop unless there is a considerable area of good land in 

 a body. Much of the prosperity depends on having 



