WHAT THE FUTURE DEMANDS 165 



have reached the stage where the struggle be- 

 tween the farmer and these enemies is growing 

 more vigorous day by day. New and heretofore 

 unknown pests are developing every year that 

 threaten to greatly limit if not at times entirely 

 wipe out a large section of our food-producing 

 area for particular crops. In many instances, 

 pests have appeared which menace the produc- 

 tion of staple crops heretofore regarded as en- 

 tirely safe. An example is the corn borer, 

 threatening to invade the area occupied by the 

 richest food-producing crops we have. Another 

 example is the fruit-fly, a constant menace to 

 our fruit-growing resources. Other diseases in 

 the soil and in the air add to the complications 

 of the struggle and offensive battle which the 

 farmer must bear. Science can survive the 

 method of control in many instances, but only at 

 great cost, and this cost must be borne by the 

 consumers in the end. 



It is conservatively estimated that by the close 

 of this century the population of the nation 

 will exceed 200,000,000 souls and the United 

 States, which is to-day a food-importing nation, 

 measured in dollars, will either have to depend 

 more largely on imported foods or reorganize 

 entirely our national life. We to-day import 



