PRODUCTIVE SOILS 



INTRODUCTION 



The cliief concern of the human race is its physical needs. Its 

 greatest needs — ^food and clothing, depend entirely upon the soil 

 which is intimately associated with life. Myriads of plants and 

 animals have lived upon the earth for ages and ages because 

 soil exists. 



Every nation is deeply interested in the soil and its crops. 

 Shall we grow more wheat to meet the demands of our increasing 

 population, or shall we import it? Shall we meet the demand for 

 more cotton, or shall it be grown elsewhere? Are our working 

 people to have meat on their tables in the years to come, or will 

 the price of meat be beyond their means? These questions can be 

 answered only by the soil 



Relative Decrease in Wheat and Com. — ^During the 30-year 

 period between 1879 and 1909, the increase in corn production was 

 45,5 per cent, and in wheat production 48.7 per cent; while the 

 increase in population for' the same period was 83.4 per cent. The 

 production of corn and wheat did not keep pace with the increase 

 in population. During this period the exportation of wheat declined. 



Actual Decrease in Com and Wheat. — The Thirteenth United 

 States Census (1910) showed an absolute decrease in corn and 

 meat production since the Twelfth Census (1900), while the popu- 

 ' lation increased over 20,000,000 — and this in a comparatively new 

 country ! The extra effort put forth by the farmers and agricultural 

 organizations to increase production during the World War resulted 

 in marked increases in the production of corn, grain, meat and dairy 

 products (Report of the Secretary of Agriculture, 1918). 



The United States produces 71.5 per cent of the world's corn 

 crop and consumes 70 per cent; it produces 18 per cent of the world's 

 wheat crop and consumes 15 per cent; it produces 27 per cent of 

 the world's oat crop and consumes 26 per cent; and it produces 

 6.5 per cent of the world's potato crop and consumes 7 per cent. 

 Thus there is the possibility of only a small exportation of these 

 food crops. If the productive power of this country is not 

 increased^ exportation of any food crop must necessarily cease, 



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