The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 25 



utilization of those lands. The type of agriculture which you are 

 going to attempt to carry on successfully will be governed to a 

 large lextent by the fertility and type of the soil. Of course, the 

 heavy types of soil are apt to be poorly drained and have to be 

 broken up, while the lighter types have not so much of the or- 

 ganic matter in them and are well drained, and in somie cases 

 quite leachy. 



I haven't the time to go into this matter in detail, but I 

 want to emphasize the fact that in developing the method of 

 utilization of this cut-over land you have to study your soil con- 

 ditions as well as climatic conditions and then adapt your crops 

 or live stock to these conditions. 



The next factor which I would call your attention to, and 

 which is also of considerable importance, is the matter of topog- 

 raphy ; in other words, what the farmer calls "'the lay of the land." 

 We may have flat lands, gentlv rolling lands and hilly lands. 

 What difference does that make in the utilization of the land from 

 an agricultural standpoint? It makes all the difference in the 

 world. For instance, where the land isi level in large areas it is >"pi^g j^g^j. ^t 

 generally recognized that a rather extensive type of agriculture the Land." 

 can usually be profitably practised, for the reason that it permits 

 of the use of labor-saving tractor or horse-drawn machinery. If 

 you have land broken up by hills and you attempt to run large 

 tillage implements over it, you will find that your cost of oper- 

 ation is considerably increased. So a vital factor that I would 

 call your attention to is the matter of topography. 



I might also point out that where you have rolling or hilly 

 lands you get better drainage ; and there is also a tendency for 

 the land to wash, so that if you intend to raise cultivated crops 

 you are going to have to terrace )'Our lands. Such lands would 

 better be kept in sod for pasture or hay. 



This would be a better and more natural utilization of the 

 land under local conditions. I emphasize again, then, that the 

 topography of the land is a very vital factor, which will influence 

 the success or failure of the type of agriculture you engage in. 

 I have seen a number of different methods of development tried, 

 and in many of them there seems to have been little attention paid 

 to these factors. 



Then comes the fourth factor, of transportation. You hear 

 a great deal of talk about the utilization of cut-over lands for 

 truck raising. If you are forty or fifty miles from a railroad, how 



