OCR Text |
Show oo UTAH CAPABLE OF A GREAT GROWTH, That there is much room for agricultural agri-cultural development in the United States, contrary to the generally ac cepted notion that all the virgin soil capable of cultivation has been taken up, is set forth in a bulletin Issued by the department of agriculture, which states that only 27 per cent of tUe tillable land is today under cultiva tion, Utah has 70,000,000 acres. Of this large area only 1 per cent was in crops In the census year. Only 4 per cent of all the land that is tillable till-able has been used For every acre now under cultivation, 28. 3 acres are tillable In other words, over 28 time3 as much land as is now in crops can be made to profitably produce. Then? are only two other states in which the ratio of land in crops to land that can be made productive but is not tilled is as large as that in Utah, and they are New Mexico and Arizona. Ari-zona. Some states, such as Iowa, has a ratio of not more than 1.6. There are only six other states in the same class with Utah. They are: Florida. Montana Wyoming. New Mexico. Arizona. Nevada. This report proves that Utah, with the other six states, is open to a vast agricultural development, and therefore, a great growth In popula tlon. The bulletin says that the entire United States, excluding foreign possessions, pos-sessions, contains about 1,900,000,000 acres. Of this area about GO per cent, or 1.140,000,000 acres is estimated esti-mated to be tillable, that is, capable of being brought under cultivation by means of the plow. This includes land already under such cultivation and that which in the future may be brought under cultivation by dealing, deal-ing, drainage, Irrigation, etc Of the total, 361,000,000 acres, or 19 per cent, are estimated to be non-tillable, but valuable for pasture or fruits Only 21 per cent, or 399,000,000 acres, was estimated to be of no use for agriculture, present or future. According to the census of 1909, the land area in crops where acreage was given was 311,000,000 acres. This is about 16 per cent of the total land area, or about 27 per pent of the estimated potential tillable area of the United States, excluding foreign pos sessions. In other words, for every 100 acres that are now tilled, about 376 acres may be tilled when the country is fully developed. In the development of the agriculture of the country the land which was most easily brought into a state of cultivation, as the great .Mississippi valley, was the first to be brought into such use. Exten slon of tilled area will be at greatej expense for clearing, drainage, in gation, etc. The increased produr tion of the future will be the resi It of increased yields per acre as well as extension of area. |