A

1. Define "land."

2. How does land differ from natural resources ?

3. What are the chief factors in determining the productivity of farm land ?

4. Does the improvement of rural roads increase the productivity of farm lands through which they extend ? Discuss.

5. Why are some store sites more desirable than others?

6. Why is such a large portion of the United States unimproved ?

7. Why do farmers resort to the rotation of crops?

8. Why are store buildings usually taller in cities than in towns or villages ?

9. Is there any relation between the value of a residence site and the value of its improvement ? Explain.

10. Why would it not be profitable for every farmer to own and operate a farm tractor?

11. How many clerks should a merchant employ?

12. How large should his stock of goods be ?

13. Are there any limits to the size of the building he can profitably use ? Explain.

14. What considerations might cause him to change sites? the size of his stock of goods? the number of employees?

B

1. Mention the most important natural resources in your community. 2: What efforts are being made in your community to conserve natural resources?

3. Locate on a map the more important regions devoted to the production of wheat, corn, cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar cane, coal, petroleum, and precious metals.

4. What kinds of crops are best fitted for intensive farming? for extensive farming? Give five examples of each, preferably from your own neighborhood.

5. Discuss the productiveness of various store "sites," and try to determine why differences exist.

6. Locate the point of diminishing returns under conditions assumed in the erection of an office building as follows:

Cost of site . . .

$10,000

Total net annual rent

Nothing

Cost of first floor .

8,000

Total net annual rent

$1,400

Cost of second floor

5,000

Total net annual rent

1,900

Cost of third floor .

4,000

Total net annual rent

2,350

Cost of fourth floor

4,000

Total net annual rent

2,700

Cost of roof . . .

1,000

Total net annual rent

2,700

7. Draw a diagram illustrating the law of diminishing returns in some industry with which you are familiar.

C

1. American farmers are constantly being criticized because they do not produce as much per acre as English farmers.

a. Is this criticism just?

b. If so, why do not American farmers operate more intensively ?

c. Are there limits to intensive farming? Explain.

2. "The opening of the Erie Canal affected both intensive and extensive agriculture in the United States." a. How was the average size of farms affected ?

b. In what ways was the New England farmer affected?

c. What was the effect on farming methods in Ohio?

d. Did the kinds of crops grown undergo any changes ? Explain.

3. A coal operator was requested by a government official during the summer of 1917 to state how much it cost to mine a ton of bituminous coal. His answer was: "Show me the mine." Why could he not answer more satisfactorily ?

4. "Iowa and Central Illinois are the heart of the best corn-producing region in the world." Comment.

Supplementary Reading

Bullock, Introduction to the Study of Economics, 3d ed., pages 170-173. Ely, Outlines of Economics, 3d ed., pages 388-395. Fetter, Economics, Vol. I, pages 433-438. Johnson, Introduction to Economics, pages 91-105. Seager, Principles of Economics, pages 122-131.

Seligman, Principles of Economics, 5th ed., pages 211-214, 302-306. Taussig, Principles of Economics, 2d ed., Vol. I, pages 185, 186; Vol. II, pages 59-62.