i 



June, 1937] Land Utilization in New Hampshire 53 



Historically, certain families clung to an aggressive agriculture long 

 after most farming had disappeared. There is an indication that some 

 of these families were among the most skilled, for they had large herds 

 of cattle and flocks of sheep. Some, no doubt, stayed on through senti- 

 ment for the old farm long after their better judgment indicated op- 

 portunities elsewhere. 



The summary of income of the present occupants gives some indica- 

 tion of the meager opportunities under present conditions and suggests 

 at least that the same forces are at work which brought about the de- 

 cline from 1860 to date. 



DISCUSSION OF PUBLIC POLICIES 



To sum up briefly the descriptions of problems and conditions to this 

 point, we have an area of 190,000 acres largely covered by stands of 

 culled timber, inhabited by 289 more or less scattered families, some 

 of them stranded with meager resources, income and opportunities, con- 

 fronted by increasing public finance problems and decreasing timber 

 resources. Since Civil AVar times the trend has been a definite decline 

 in agriculture and population. What is to be done about it? What 

 can be done? 



Such problems involve people more than land, and the remedies must 

 come through social as well as economic measures. The well-being of 

 the individual families and the broad interests of society as a whole 

 must be taken into account. In even this small area the future is 

 fundamentally related to the development of national activities. 



Since these complex social and economic relations exist, affecting the 

 lives of people closely and intimately, it is important to take some no- 

 tice of certain factors and become oriented to them before discussing 

 possible State policies. 



1. There is a balance or equalization always operating between agri- 

 culture on the one hand and industry, trade, and services on the other. 

 The movement of workers from one to the other depends on the relative 

 situation in agriculture and the other opportunities, so the use of and 

 demand for farm land in New Hampshire will depend on the continu- 

 ing development and expansion of the industrial system. That the 

 recent trend in efficiencies in industrial production will eventually re- 

 sult in more and new types of production and the distribution of great- 

 er volume of the many varied products seems to be a sound conclusion. 



In this event the demand for producers will greatly expand, and 

 those capable of taking part in aggressive production and distribution 

 will find it possible to share in this increased total and per capita divi- 

 dend by participating in either commercial agriculture or industrial 

 life. There is little probability that the capable and the strong will be 

 content to step back to a self-sufficing existence. 



2. The problem of adjustment of people to land resources involves 

 basically such immeasurable and elusive factors as standards of life, 

 philosophies of life, and ambitions of people. These can easily be mis- 

 interpreted and misjudged. Each family — and each individual — re- 

 quires a different weighting as to what may be important to its best 

 interest. Who is to judge, who can judge whether this situation or 

 that is best for an individual family? Society has built through the 



