The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-04

profit and pan kruptcy. IN farming, we
are satisfied with a small yield at the ex-
pense of the most rapid soil deterioration.
When we have added to the national
4 export trade half billion dollars per
annum, the country rings with self-con-
! graduation, and we demand the plaudits
| of the world If a process for extracting
metallic wealth from ricks were to be
| discovered tomorrow such as to assure
\ the country an added volume of a billion
dollars in wealth every year, the nation
/ would talk of nothing else. Yet these
/ things would be hut a trifle when COM
pared with the possibilities of agricultural
| development in the United States. The
official estimated value of all farm pro-
| ducts of the country last year was S.
! 415O00000 Discount this ror high prices
and generally favorable conditions by 20
per cent and over s5,000.0oo 600 remains. 1t
| Is also officially recorded that of the pa
proprated farm area of the United States
/ little less than one-half is under cul-
| tiYaton. Utilize the other nalf and, with
out any change whatever in method, the
! output would be practically doubled.
| Change methods only q little, not to high
class, intensive farming, but to an agri-
| culture as far advanced as that of those
| other countries which have made the
most progress, and without any addition
whatever to the existing cultivated farm
area the product per acre would be
/ doubled.
We should be able, by directing surplus
population to the land, ana by the adop-
ton of a system of culture in full opera
J ton elsewhere greatly 70 increase this
minimum present yield of $4,000, 100000 per
annum of farm products, That is we may
add $40 900, 10000 or sis 100000 600 every year
to the national wealth If we so choose
And this is but a beginning.
Three Essentials to Agriculture.
There are three essentials to any agri-
culture worthy of the name. The first Is
rotation of crops. Our low average yield
is due to the Anticipated system all too
prevalent of raising the same crop in
/ definitely on the same land, until 1t has
| been worn out or so reduced that the
owner is in danger of poverty, Even
without fertilizing. the yield of a given
area may be immensely increased and
its productive diversion preserved from
exhaustion merely by the restorative va
riety of change which seems to be a law
of all living things. The second method
of increasing yield and preserving soil
! produetvely-the more liberal use of fer
/ tlizng material such as is possible where
/ farms are of small size and cattle are
| kept gives abundant evidence of the ex-
| traordnary results that may be obtained.
| The third factor in Improvement better
/ tillage is most interesting of all because
no more know what is the maximum
food bearing capacity of the earth or of
any small portion of Its surface than we
do the rate at which people may be able
to travel a century from now. But what
has been done is sufficiently startling. A
population of $1,000, 900 people in Japan is
supported on 10000 cultivated miles, aided
by the food products obtained from the
sea. This is, because cultivation in Japan
Is truly intensive: that Is, it is no longer
| even highly developed farming, but mar
| llet gardening. AS we approach that sci
enee the actual of soils for growing pur-
poses, the shelter of plants from frost
and unfavorable dement's, and the treat
ment of grains and vegetables by sep
arate planting and individual nurture, all
! Limitations upon earth's bounty appear to
recede affair. From two and seven-tenths
| acres in the suburbs of Paris there have
been grown in a single season 100000
pounds of vegeta bles. market gard
ener of Paris declares that all food ami
| NAL and vegetables, required for the $780,
900 people of two great departments could
be grown, by methods already in use, on
the 1850 square miles of gardens sur
| rounding the city.
Two Persons to Acre.
It can be shown that an average of two
| persons or more may be supported on
every acre of tillable land, by the highest
form of intensive farming But dismissing
this as unnecessary. 1t has been shown
that people like those Of Belgium today
not an oriental race accustomed to a
standard of living and of labor inapplic-
able to us, not living in virtual serfdom,
like that of Russia, but an industrious,
fairly intelligent and exceedingly COM
Portable agricultural community, raised
from the soil food enough for the needs
of 400 persons to the square mile Adopt
ing Professionally that ratio as point of
departure, though the actual ration Of
area to population gives figure consider
ably higher even than this, the Ala, 49S, 4S7
| acres of improved farm land in the United
States on the date of the last official re-
port an area materially enlarged by the
| present time would support in comfort
ST., $3.50, 4O5 people: enabling them at the
same time to raise considerable food for
export and to engage In necessary manu-
featuring employments. Applying the
same ration to the entire acreage of farm
lands within the United states. both i'm
proved and unimproved, which was at
the same date S3S. 591,774 the population
indicated as able to live with comfort and
prosperity on the actual existing agricul-
tural area of this country, under an in
! telllgent system and a fairly competent
but by no means highly scientific method
of culture rises to 642, O46S23. The conclu-
sion is that If not another acre were to
| be redeemed from the Wilderness If the
solid were treated kindly and intelligent
ly and If industry were distributed duly
and popular attention were concentrated
upon the best possible utilization of the
| one unfailing national resource, there
would be produced all necessary food for
the wants of, in round number $50, 100000
Where Are They to Live.
Failing to understand the needs of the
hour, or to appreciate the moral to
which the point what fortune must await
us? Within twenty years 900 people,
and before the middle of the century over
900 must find room and food and
employment within the United States
| Where are they to live? What are they
to do? BY that time our mineral re-
sources will have been so nearly ex-
hausted that the industries related to
then must fall into a minor place. BY
that time 1t Is apparent that our dream
of conquest of world markets will be a
bursted bubble. Mr.. Harold Bolce has
demonstrated that the people of the ORR
ent, the hundreds of millions of Japan
and China, with their initiative quality
their proved ability to operate modern
machinery and to create it in their own
| workshops after once using 1t, their enor-
nous supply of coal and iron, their linz
itless cheap labor and their patience like
that of Fate, are prepared to control
the markets of the future They must
control as against the policy which has
| established domestic conditions in manu-
featuring business, on lines which makes
production so expensive an affair that
| we could not hope to meet the mechanic
of Germany on even terms, and must re-