IDLE LAND IN AMERICA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8831, 6 May 1914, Page 3

IDLE LAND IN AMERICA.

Government reports continue to show immense and increasing importations of foodstuffs into the United States, a country that a few years ago was regarded as the bread basket of tho world. Those importations include meats and meat products of almost every description, cattle on the hoof, grains and» vegetables. They cover practically all the products of the farm rrnd garden. Thero are 1 certain phases of the United States crop situation that call for carof'il treatment. For oxanipli). it will appear from the Go- ; verniucnt statistics that th°, fnrm value of tlie potato crop of the United States in 19is is greater than for any earlier yen r ' except 1911. But ■ increase .of value in this case does not reflect increased production. The value was hioh because production was low. The truth is, the United States, the natural home of the potato, has a production annually far below that of nthor' countries. Farm products of all kinds are dear'in the United States hncauso. farm production in i]l? Uni*ed States is low. The fertility of farm lands, taking i] ie country through, has not seriously diminished, says an American paper. Millions upon millions of acres arc idle. Under conditions tar less favourable formers abroad are raisirg a- great deal more to the acre thnn is taken from- the soil. in the .United Stato^. Instead of feeaing the world, as it did to a very largo extent toy years, the U"itod States is.being fed in part by other countries.