The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-31
Soil Fertility and How to Maintain.
CONDUCTED BY ru IT

There is no question before the Ameri- can people today Of such vrtal importance to all interests, as well as tha- of agri- culture, as Is this question of soil fer tility. This is true from the fact that every industry, business and profession is dependent to a greater CT less degree, either directly or indirectly, upon the farm and farmers of tnis country for their support This bems true, what d great error it is to think, many do, that only farmers shouil be interested in this matter.
 The writer has Scea in the farmers institute work for twentY-fve years, and for the last few years has been giving his entire time ta She work and during this time has met with many strange cx- periences along this line. Often We find merchants bankers and business men who cannot understand where they come in, in the assistance Of this educa tional work. and many merchants will not even lend their moral support ts the wolk. Recently, while trviag to work up a farmers' meeting in a town. and talking to one of the leadins merchants who could nct sec bow he waa to 1c be- e. fitted, tall d his attention to th" .act that the average wh' 't : Q? cl h's slate was thir,.sn bushels per acre. en on to show him taat more than half of the wheat farmers of lis state were growing less than six bushels per acre. Wheat on that day in this town was selling for sixty cents per bushel This meant to the six bushel grower S3.6O per acre. Now in this state wheat cannot be grown for less than thirty ceLts per bushel, so this would leave the farmer s1S0 per acre for his seed, rent, labor and wear and tear on the land. I put the question direct to this merchant. How much has the farmer who is growing six bushels of wheat and ten bushels of corn Ter acre, have to spend with you? He had never thought of 1t in this light This is but a fair illustration of the case, so that really the merensnts should be more interested in this nuesIon of soil fertility than any other class. the farmer not excepted.
 How to farm the soil s) as to get a comfortable living-so as to have cash to pay for all supplies-to havs money to deposit every week in the banlS-to farm under a system that will not only reward the farmer, but will prevent his soil from washing away, from being carried away by every rain to the streams, and by them on to the gu1r-are problems and the greatest problems that confront our farmers today. With the many op- portunities afforded the farmers for edu- eating themselves along these lines, we are bound to believe that tho farmer of today who cannot take a farm, make a comfortable living for himself and family. lay up a little money every week in the bank, and at the end of forty of fifty years leave his farm so far as the fer tility of the soil is concerned, in high CT state of cultivation and richer than when he began with it-is a very poor farmer, and not the kind Of a farmer that the world needs today.
 Every good citizen farmer) owes his country his family and himself at least three obligations. First, he should man. age his farm so as to get the best re- suits, a comfortable living for himself and family good barns for his stock, plant orchards, gardens, shruhbery and flowers, keep his fences and buildings in good condition, keep out of debt, and put a little money in the bank each week, and besides this, at the end of his natural life. he should leave his soil richer and in higher state of cultivation than 1t was when he began to farm It; second, he should strige to leave society in a better should strive to leave society in a better when he moved or began life in tho neighborhood; third, he should leave his children with a good education. Sorld he fall short of these duties he Is not a o1