In the preceding chapter we learned that as a nation we have not
been altogether thrifty in the disposal and use of our public
lands. The same thing will have to be said regarding the use of
the resources of the land, of which the soil is by far the most
valuable.

It is said that 1200 boys in Ohio, organized in clubs, increased
the average yield of corn from 35 bushels to 81 bushels per acre.
The average returns per acre from the soil of the United States
were lower before the war than in any European country, except
Russia. The following table gives the production per acre of four
cereals in the United States and five European countries in 1913.
The same relative position of the United States would be shown if
we took the average production of these countries for a series of
years.

PRODUCTION IN BUSHELS PER ACRE UNDER CULTIVATION IN 1913

ABILITY OF THE AMERICAN FARMER

The low position of the United States in agriculture is by no
means due to inferior ability on the part of the American farmer.
The Secretary of Agriculture says that

Even now no farmer in the world can compare with the American
farmer in agricultural efficiency. His adaptability to new and
changing conditions, to the use of improved machinery and
processes, coupled with the great natural resources with which the
nation is endowed, make him far superior to any of his
competitors. It is true that he does not produce more per acre