New-York tribune., 1895-12-10
CITIES AND AGRICULTURE.
now THE CONDITION OF THE FARMER
AFFECTS ALL CLASSES.
..,,,r or SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN THE cuLTI-
yAT1oN OF LAND-A PAPER READ BY
GEORGE 7 POWELL.

GEORGE T. POWELL
o r Powell had many interesting things 70
- ,ssors the conference yesterday afternoon IN the
I-ri,ed Charities Building. The conference was o"'
"a hv the Ncw-York Association Tor lmprSN'"e
.,a condition OF the Poor. and r. fuiton 'u'"hs
rrss,ded In attendance there were sixty-three per
Us the majority OF them women. MI POWELL
rho is a practical farmer and fruit grower, ownnis
~. voted Orchard Farm. at Client. Columbia 'ouh-
49, \ Y had prepared an elaborate paper OF the
s,hiect of agricultural conditions. lie frst Uea'@u
., AGRICULTURAL depression. compelling urban misf"-
,on The speaker asserted that this matter was
hsrsv second in Importance to the slavery question:
t- the interests Of the country were involved IN Il
"a an equal extent He dweh at length upon the
,g-continued Ignorance Of the farming community
:, the scientific side OF agriculture, OF wnlch 50
r,uch use made not so many years ago os
IN. humorists and carcaturists in treating "i
"srangers" He showed by statistics where the
,sakness lies The farmer of the old time was con-
tent to take from nature the crops she gave nun
and returned nothing TO the soil BY coiored chart
Mr. Powell showed in what proportion TINS cohdi-
,,or has contributed to take away from the SOIL 'he
nitrogen phosphoric acid and potash, whcn are
the essential fertilzing elements.
Further on he remarked that when the agriculture
% nation is not prosperous. IL such period is long
continued IL is only question OF time when the
decay of cities is sure 10 follow The rapid incT
81 population in the cities has been another marked
feature OF the last quarter OF century anu ~ ~
consequence the dependent class has grown TO such
PROPORTIONS that prosperity and phllanthrogy are
faxed TO their utmost to meet the altered Condi.!ois
out OF these problems Is growing ccmpiezi,y S o.
social and economic questions touching very cOseiS
the issues of municipal government. Mr.. Powell
held that the solution OF the whole matter lay N the
direction of a prosperous agriculture. SNOW
the Young people OF the country now tney can mar
money on the farm. and they viii not desire 10 COM
- The city The aid of agricultural colleges ana
every other institution of learning must be invoked
The speaker contened that the application OF scleh-
life knowledge TO American agriculture woua prlng
10 this industry the same advantages Whlch nave
been enjoyed by other interests III,
Al the close Of the reading OF the paper the chair
man called for queries and for more than an hour
MIR Powell was kept busy replying TO questions.
Remarks also made by Professor Atwater' Oh
Nlddletown Conn: by Charles w. Dabney, AS
sstant Secretary OF Agriculture, and by Professor
Glazing of Columbia College. II finally de-
cided to reappoint the associations Committee on
Agricultural Inquiry to continue lis lnlestlSatlMoh M
along the lines indicated in Mr. Pow us napsr me
committee is composed of r. Fulton Cutting, after
l. Suydam Howard Townsend and Josephine ,
Lowell Letters of regret for inability to attend
we're read from / 7. Roberts and j. W, jerks, o.
cornell University: S. NJ. Lindsay. University CT
PENNSYLVANIA and John II. Finley, OF Knox COL
lege Illinois.