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  The 
  rapid 
  rise 
  of 
  the 
  coal 
  and 
  steel 
  industries 
  has 
  caused 
  a 
  great 
  

   increase 
  in 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  This 
  

   offered 
  an 
  excellent 
  chance 
  for 
  an 
  intensive 
  system 
  of 
  agriculture 
  to 
  

   supply 
  these 
  communities, 
  but 
  the 
  farmers 
  have 
  not 
  fully 
  met 
  this 
  

   great 
  opportunity. 
  Agriculture, 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  the 
  chief 
  industry 
  of 
  

   the 
  region, 
  has 
  been 
  slowly 
  going 
  backward 
  for 
  many 
  years. 
  Its 
  

   decline 
  is 
  largely 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  effect 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  sale 
  of 
  the 
  coal 
  

   veins 
  underlying 
  the 
  farms. 
  Money 
  so 
  acquired 
  has 
  led 
  many 
  farm- 
  

   ers 
  to 
  retire 
  with 
  their 
  families 
  to 
  the 
  towns 
  and 
  has 
  brought 
  addi- 
  

   tional 
  comforts 
  to 
  those 
  remaining 
  on 
  their 
  lands, 
  but 
  has 
  deadened 
  

   the 
  activity 
  and 
  ambition 
  essential 
  to 
  progressive 
  agriculture. 
  The 
  

   soil 
  of 
  many 
  farms 
  has 
  deteriorated 
  in 
  fertility 
  and 
  productiveness 
  

   through 
  ignorance 
  of 
  the 
  proper 
  methods 
  of 
  managing 
  it 
  or 
  the 
  best 
  

   crops 
  for 
  the 
  soil. 
  

  

  There 
  still 
  remains 
  in 
  southwestern 
  Pennsylvania 
  a 
  great 
  source 
  

   of 
  coal 
  to 
  be 
  developed, 
  but 
  the 
  field 
  is 
  certain 
  to 
  shift. 
  The 
  coal 
  

   veins 
  were 
  first 
  entered 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  most 
  accessible. 
  The 
  future 
  

   development 
  and 
  progress 
  of 
  mining 
  will 
  be 
  throughout 
  Washington 
  

   and 
  Greene 
  counties, 
  Pa., 
  and 
  in 
  West 
  Virginia. 
  There 
  are 
  places 
  in 
  

   Westmoreland 
  County 
  where 
  the 
  principal 
  vein, 
  the 
  Pittsburg, 
  has 
  

   been 
  exhausted 
  ; 
  in 
  other 
  localities 
  in 
  this 
  county 
  thirty 
  to 
  fifty 
  years 
  

   will 
  complete 
  mining 
  operations. 
  In 
  communities 
  where 
  prosperity 
  

   now 
  depends 
  wholly 
  upon 
  the 
  mining 
  industry, 
  its 
  conclusion 
  will 
  be 
  

   the 
  first 
  step 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  decline. 
  As 
  the 
  communities 
  dwindle 
  in 
  

   size, 
  farming 
  will 
  continue, 
  but 
  less 
  prosperously, 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  tend 
  to 
  

   become 
  extensive 
  rather 
  than 
  intensive 
  in 
  character. 
  The 
  introduc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  other 
  industries 
  is 
  vitally 
  essential 
  to 
  such 
  localities, 
  and 
  one 
  

   of 
  these 
  should 
  be 
  the 
  lumber 
  industry, 
  made 
  possible 
  by 
  extensive 
  

   forest 
  planting 
  commenced 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  

  

  On 
  nearly 
  every 
  farm 
  there 
  is 
  some 
  portion 
  which 
  has 
  small 
  

   productive 
  capacity 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  utilized 
  for 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  forest 
  

   rather 
  than 
  field 
  crops. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  such 
  land 
  for 
  forest 
  planting 
  

   would 
  furnish 
  an 
  added 
  and 
  growing 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  farm. 
  For 
  all 
  the 
  

   timber 
  planted 
  now 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  an 
  excellent 
  market 
  at 
  maturity 
  for 
  

   mine 
  timber, 
  railroad 
  ties, 
  lumber, 
  etc. 
  Excellent 
  railroad 
  facilities 
  

   exist 
  to 
  furnish 
  transportation 
  of 
  the 
  products 
  to 
  the 
  mines 
  or 
  to 
  

   the 
  cities 
  and 
  towns 
  of 
  the 
  region. 
  The 
  farmers, 
  however, 
  are 
  not 
  

   sufficiently 
  progressive 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  opportunity. 
  

  

  The 
  coal 
  companies, 
  to 
  whom 
  a 
  future 
  supply 
  of 
  mine 
  timbers 
  is 
  of 
  

   so 
  great 
  importance, 
  must 
  take 
  the 
  initiative. 
  The 
  source 
  of 
  timber 
  

   supply 
  is 
  becoming 
  farther 
  and 
  farther 
  distant. 
  Within 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  

   a 
  growing 
  difficulty 
  in 
  securing 
  pit 
  props 
  has 
  been 
  experienced, 
  and 
  

   correspondingly 
  higher 
  prices 
  are 
  being 
  paid 
  each 
  year. 
  In 
  former 
  

   years 
  only 
  oak 
  was 
  accepted 
  for 
  posts; 
  to-day 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  wood 
  are 
  

   utilized 
  by 
  the 
  coal 
  operators. 
  The 
  local 
  timber 
  supply 
  adjacent 
  to 
  

  

  