The San Francisco call., 1898-12-04

crease the capacity of the wheat fields to meet the increase in population.
 Fifth, that nitrogen is the one ele- ment most essential to wheat growth.
 Sixth, that this will probably be se- cured by the production of nitric acid by electrical action, and that the water power of Niagara could be used for this purpose.
 The fallacies of Sir Williams state ments are so patent that it is not neces- sary to go into very great detail to show them. In the first place it may be mentioned that the earth's fertility is not becoming exhausted by the prac- tiee of scientific agriculture
 On the other hand, it is easily dem onstrated that the fields of the world which are properly cultivated are grow ing constantly in fertility. This in- crease has come almost exclusively from the practical application of the results of the researches which have been carried on by agricultural chem ists, and which have been workd.d out in the agricultural experiment stations of the world.
 Chemical research has shown the re- lation of plant food in the soil to that which is removed in the crop, and has suggested methods whereby the waste of plant food can be largely prevented. and the stores which have already been carried beyond reach can be gradually restored to the fields.
 The agricultural experiment stations of the United States and the scientific divisions of the United States Depart ment of Agriculture, although young in years, have contributed no small share to the elucidation of the problem of increasing the earth's fertility.
 In the north of France. which Is the great wheat producing area of that country, the average production of wheat per acre has increased in the last twenty-five years from seventeen to over twenty-six bushels. Last sum- mer in the north of France I visited an experiment station and was shown a. variety of wheat which had produced over eighty bushels per acre. This re- markable result has been attained by selecting from a prolific variety of wheat year after year, the largest grains, planting these and again select ing, until variety has been establish ed which gives the phenomenal yield mentioned above.
 The State of Maryland. among the older States of our Union, has perhaps suffered more in the past from un- scientific farming methods than almost any other locality. So impoverished in many cases have the soils of Maryland become that it is regarded as a proper place to avoid by all intending invest ors in agricultural lands. Prince Georges County which borders on Washington, has perhaps suffered as much as any other portion of the State in this regard. Fifteen years ago large portions of the former arable land in this county had been abandoned for agricultural purposes. On these very lands scientific agriculture has been able to produce prolific crops. and the agricultural experiment station of Maryland is situated upon land which years ago had been exhausted of its fertility by the practice of the agricul- tural methods of the early times. This soil, which was regarded as almost worthless for agricultural purposes. has under the scientific treatment to which it has been subjected produced an average of forty bushels of wheat per acre for many years.
 What is true of Maryland is true of other portions of the country. It is per- fectly certain that by the application of methods which have already been dem onstrated as effective to the wheat fields of the United States it will be easily possible, without increasing the area under wheat bv a single acre. to more than double the yield The total area of Belgium is 7,27S.720 acres. and the population is 6,4lO,7S3, or nearly one person for each acre. The State of Ohio resembles Belgium in contour, climate and fertility of soil. Ohio. how ever is nearly four times as large as Belgium, and, measured by the Bel gian standard, could easily feed 20, ,000,- OUV peOple. He wheat nel0S or ohio alone, cultivated according to the high est standard of the agricultural art. could almost produce wheat enough to feed the present population of this country. The acreage devoted to wheat in the United States could be easily doubled did the price of this staple jus tify the expansion. 1t is no rosy vision to predict that this country can. with out violence to other agricultural inter ests, easily produce a thousand million bushels of wheat per annum
 Theories often suffer when brought into violent collision with facts. The real facts about wheat production are that 1t has more than kept pace with the increase of population, so that wheat and it's products were never cheaper than they are to-day. Perhans there has never been a time in the history of the world when days labor could buy so much wheat as at the present moment. The catastrophe of starvation for lack of wheat Is there fore evidently one which Is to come suddenly since 1t gives no evidence of its approach at the present time. and according to Sir William it is so nearly due H. w. WILEY.