86 The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 



riculture will do anything in its power to help any land company 

 develop this on a sane, conservative business basis. I thank you. 

 (Applause.) 



The Forage Problem of the 

 Coastal Plain Area 



By Dr. C. V. Piper 



Chief Agrostologist, Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 United States Department of Agriculture 



One of the joys of my life is to listen to an ardent Californian 

 describe the attractions of his wonderful state. If he is a little 

 enthusiastic, his description is like that we are inclined to asso- 

 ciate with Paradise ; and he is not so very wrong, after all, even 

 if portions of California are more nearly comparable with another 

 place. I have listened to very many able addresses in which the 

 resources of the Southland were described, but when the enthu- 

 siastic Southerner is describing the South he is never thinking 

 of these cut-over pine lands. He is thinking of some other part 

 of Dixieland. 



Now, gentlemen, we are here to discuss the most important 

 large land problem in the United States, certainly the most im- 

 portant of possible agricultural lands. I want to make it clear 

 just what lands I am talking about in my address. We heard 

 from Dr. Marbut this morning as to the classification of these 

 lands. In the Coastal Plains there are large areas of alluvial 

 and swamp lands, which, when well drained, present no serious 

 problem to agriculture. There are other areas of very sandy 

 lands which do present a serious problem. Intermediate be- 

 tween these are large areas of land lumped together as sandy 

 loams, and, for the most part, in the area we are discussing, well 

 drained ; those are the ones my remarks will apply to par- 

 ticularly. If we can utilize those lands successfully then there 

 will be ample time to take up the more difficult sandy areas. 



Now, gentlemen, there is no question but what these lands 

 are not sufficiently fertile. If they were fertile lands they would 

 have been utilized long ago; but they have not been attractive 



