ECONOMIC CAUSES OF DEPLETION 73 



put. A fuller production upon the farm is needed and 

 would bring sure reward. 



In the face of such a showing as this concerning rela- 

 tive prices and lowered production, one may well ask 

 in the interest of the general community, " Why is 

 there migration from the farm?" and in the interest 

 of the farmer, " Why is there dissatisfaction with farm 

 life '<'' The replacing of hand labor by machinery can- 

 not be the sole explanation. Many of our townships 

 had reached their maximum of population before the 

 chief developments in machinery had taken place. 

 Many Xew England " towns " were becoming depleted 

 as early as the beginning of the nineteenth century. 

 Let us endeavor to search out some of the main causes. 



The invariable rule is found to be that depletion 

 shows itself first and works out most completely on the 

 less fertile soils. I have stated that along the nearest 

 concession road to Spencerville, right over against the 

 village, are found seven adjoining farms without a 

 resident farmer. That tract of land is high-lying, 

 stony, thin-soiled over rock, and arid, beyond any ad- 

 joining areas. Yet on that now arid territory stumps 

 of pine still remain as evidence of a heavy growth of 

 white pine whose trunks were two and even three feet 

 in diameter. 



We thus reach the first of the economic causes of the 

 migration from the farm, due to an error in the field 

 of conservation of natural resources, namely the opening 

 up to settlement and denuding of their forests of lands 

 profitable for agriculture than for forestry. Lands 

 that are very valuable for forestry may be quite value- 

 less for agriculture. A light soil of limited depth which 

 when cleared washes with the rain, leaving exposed 



