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Show TABLE 9.-Land suitable for agricultural use which ap- pears feasible for reclamation by flood protection, drain- age, and clearing Land classification Acreage Total Equivaleni in new cropland Improvement of existing farm land: By flood control only >_______________ By rehabilitation of drainage plus some additional flood control *____________ Millions of acres 13.0 31.1 Millions of acres 4.3 10.3 Subtotal...........................____ 44.1 14.6 Reclamation and. development of new land: By flood protection, drainage, and clearing' - _ _______ 4.3 6.0 10.4 10.0 4.3 6.0 10.4 8.0 By drainage and clearing 4 (in flood-control projects). -_ _______________ By drainage and clearing • (flood control not involved)____ _______________ By land clearing alone_______________ Subtotal............. ............. 30.7 28.7 Grand total____________________ 74.8 43.3 i Land within gross area to be protected from floods which is cleared and used for fanning but rectuires flood protection only for full produc- tion. > Cultivated lands in drainage enterprises or lands cultivated partially or intermittently outside of drainage enterprises, which need improved drainage. »Lands within the area to be protected from floods under the authorized and planned flooxi-control program. * Lands within, area where flood protection has been provided. • Lands outside area of flood-control program where for the most part flood protection is not involved. Source: Unpublished data and computation by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. sum of 6 million acres of newly irrigated land- which are equivalent to 9 million acres of non- irrigated land-and the equivalent of 21 mil- lion acres of ordinary farm land reclaimed through flood protection, drainage, and clearing. The Nation must find by 1975 the equivalent of an additional 70 million acres either through expediting the reclamation program or through a material increase in the productivity of exist- ing farm lands. This will require an average increase of about 13 to 14 percent in the pro- duction per acre of the 542 million cropland acres or equivalent farmed in the 1945-49 period, de- pending on whether the shift of cropland into other uses for conservation is taken into account. This increase should be over and above the in- crease achieved through the soil conservation pro- grams. The vital question is: Can the Nation count on such an increase? From 1910 until the late 1930's, there were no substantial changes in the production per acre of agricultural land. In the following decade, how- ever, under the inducement of high prices and large profits, yields per acre increased to the point where the 1945-49 average was about 25 percent higher than that for 1935-39. Although weather was more favorable for crop production during the latter period, the influence of weather was less significant than a number of other factors. The greater use of fertilizer, lime, improved varieties of plants, control of insects, and disease have all operated to increase production per acre. In addition, the high-producing crops have been shifted to better lands, both area-wide and on individual farms, and the productivity of many farms has been improved by soil building and conserving practices. Farm production has been increased both by expanding inputs and through greater production per unit of input. Mechanization has improved productive effi- ciency by making planting, cultivating, and har- vesting operations more timely and more ad- justable to weather conditions. Both improved varieties and mechanical power have reduced weather hazards. Improved varieties may with- stand adverse weather because of shorter ma- turity periods or drought resistant characteris- tics. Further, the displacement of horses and mules by tractors has greatly increased the mar- ketable product of farms. As a result of varying combinations of these factors, average wheat yields during 1945-49 were one-fourth higher than in 1920-39; corn yields were up about one-third; while hay yields showed a 10-percent increase. Great improve- ment has occurred in the food value of hay as a result of an increase in the production of high- protein legume hays. This in turn has contrib- uted to an increase of 15 to 20 percent in produc- tion per animal unit. Future Production of Present Crop and Pasture Land.-A number of factors need to be con- sidered in appraising the likelihood of the upward trend in per acre production continuing or even maintaining the advances that have already 162 |
