June, 1937] Land Utilization in New Hampshire 55 



importance commercially. If thus intermingled with commercial farms 

 and other part-time places, such use results in little additional cost for 

 public services and the maintenance of these small homes directly aids 

 and supports the public finance structure. 



On the other hand, the occupancy of small isolated places by fam- 

 ilies from the cities without funds or resources is a definite liability to 

 the State. The public finances of local back towns are not only strained 

 to the limit in servicins: such locations, but a future serious relief load 

 is in the oi^fing. To what extent can the State afford to take over the 

 people that large eastern cities have broken and discarded? Every 

 isolated low-value location is an invitation. We can encouraTe the re- 

 tirement of families in persisting communities. We should discourage 

 such retirement to areas where adequate administration of the relief 

 load, the social cost of medical care, and the public cost of roads and 

 schools will be very high in comparison to other locations and where 

 abandonment is in the public interest. 



5. Nationally there is a relation between numbers of people and 

 the requirement of land. This requirement depends somewhat on 

 standards of living and dietary habits of the masses. The present 

 population with present food habits requires about 300.000,000 acres 

 of crop land for its own needs and another 30.000.000 for production 

 of export products. There are now in excess of 15,000.000 acres over 

 this amount available. Even with a change in food habits and a mod- 

 erate increase in population, the trend seems to be in the direction of 

 making good land more productive rather than depending on poor land. 



The population is slowino" down and it is estimated by Baker' that by 

 1950 a peak in total numbers may be expected.^ This situation suggests 

 that the pressure of people on the land resources is not increasing and 

 that relative prices of agricultural products are not likeh'^ to be large 

 enough to stimulate the rejuvenation of abandoned areas. 



Now that the Nation is maturing and the population numbers be- 

 coming more stabilized, the tendency will be even more marked for 

 agricultural production to shift to the most economic locations. Thus 

 over a long period the location of production is a more or less "fluid" 

 situation. Present trends of each country striving toward nationalism 

 in so far as food is concerned suggest little hope of exporting large 

 amounts of agricultural products at high prices. Therefore, there is 

 little to suggest that commercial agriculture will increase in areas where 

 production costs are great in relation to markets. 



6. From the New Hampshire point of view much depends on the 

 shifts of population within the country. Will eastern cities increase, 

 remain stable, or decline under conditions of a stable national popu- 

 lation ? 



We have lived long under a condition of expanding total population 

 and have come to expect increases in most sections as a matter of course. 



E. 0. Baker. Population trends and the National welfare. U. S. D. A. 

 This estimate assumes very little immigration. 



