June, 1939] The Agricultural Conservation Program in N. H. 



19 



pense required to redeem and reestablish these acres of tillage land. 

 The longer the downward trend continues, the more management and 

 expense will be required to bring the land back into production. 



The Effect and Significance of the Conservation 



Program 



The continuance of the agricultural conservation program is bound 

 to have a profound etfect on the agriculture of the United States. 

 Practices of soil conservation and soil building will unquestionably 

 show results in the next decade and the adaptation of these practices 

 to the local situation in each area may result in considerable shifting in 

 the location of production. Much depends on the effectiveness of the 

 programs in the different regions in increasing crop yields and the 

 necessity of shifting crops in order to conserve the soil. 



ikCKS or TILLAGt 

 I 1.000 



10.000 



9.000 



ANIMAL UNIT5 PEB ACRE. 

 TrPtOFFABM 



Figure 4. Tillage acres in each type of farm group distributed accord- 

 ing to animal units per acre. Shaded portion represents enrollment. 



The areas that are able to make considerable progress will be greatly 

 benefited by the program and regions that cannot use the practices or 

 fail to use them intelligently will be handicapped. Many problems 

 must be examined from the viewpoint of the relative influence of pro- 

 grams and in the competitive relationship between regions. The area 

 that marks time is actually going back in relation to the areas that ad- 

 vance. For instance we are now aware in this state, although we did 

 not fully recognize it at the time, that the building of a good road 20 

 years ago had a tremendous influence on the agriculture of certain 

 areas. Those tributary to the road were brought nearer markets as 

 measured in time and ease of travel. Those not served were relatively 

 worse off than before. The conservation program can have the same 

 selective influence both nationally and within a state. 



A part of the difference in influence is related to geographical dif- 

 ferences in regions and in the type of farming and amounts and char- 

 acter of tillage land, but a great deal of the difference can arise from 



