Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-04-04
Secretary Wilson Predicts That
Crop Failures Will Never
Again Occur
DUE TO IMPROVED FARMING
Only Some Unexpected Calamity In
the Matter of Unreasonable Weather
Conditions Ever to Make Possible
Total Failure of Crops - Production
to Be Increased.

Washington, April 4.-There will be
is confidently made by Secretary Will
son, who knows more about agriculture
than any other man in public life. The
secretary is anticipating only normal
conditions, such as the weather expert
enced year after year, and does not say
that some great calamity in the form
of floods or wide area of freezing
weather In July may not descend up
of the heavens
Early and late frosts, drought and
prolonged rainy seasons, torrid heat
and lack of sunshine, grasshoppers, rust
and other pests and diseases are con-
sldered by the secretary as conditions
which the farmers must guard against
to insure crops.
Material improvements.
There have been material improve
ments in agriculture during the pres
ent decade, said Secretary Wilson
important Improvements have been
made in agricultural machinery, which
are of great advantage to the farmers.
The department of agriculture has, by
experiments, demonstrated what is
possible to do in preparing for climatic
tluctuatlon in heat and moisture, and
has made a study of the soils of in
calculable benefit to the tillers.
1T is not only possible. but it is
practical and is the general rule now
adays, for the farmer to study the soil
he has to work, and intelligently select
the crops best adapted. The days of
Old, when the farmers. year after year,
would plant the same crops to gather
a rather remunerative harvest when
conditions were exceptionally good and
to experience failures under adverse
conditions, have gone. never to return.
The farmers now make it their business
tc, know what their lands will do, and
they utilize them to the best possible
advantage.
Double in Ten Years.
"In 1910 the production per acre will
be twice as great as it was In l900.
This increase will be due entirely to the
advance which the farmers are maxi
ing in the direction of selection and
methods. The work of the department.
among the farmers in bringing about
this result is of sufficient Importance to
warrant all the appropriations that
have been made during the last six
years for it's maintenance.
But the work of the department has
not stopped with increased acreage
production. Agents have been at work
all over the world searching for crops
best adapted to conditions existing in
various sections of our wide expanse OF
territory. They have brought US crops
which blossom in the deserts, and now
in the arid tracts in parts of the west
crops are being produced where it was
thought only rattlesnakes and lizards
could thrive
Irrlaation's Help.
Irrigation is doing much to make
waste land fertile but any experienced
farmer given an abundant water sup
ply, which he can control, can produce
s,ood results. What the agricultural
department is attempting is to over
come the natural conditions. and
think much has already been done in
this line. More will be done.
when / say there will be no more
crop failures, do not mean that every
seed ever farmer plants will thrive and
produce" explained the secretary. I'VE
may, however, safely count upon suf-
icient crops to supply our own need
and leave a surplus for export A flood
may visit some valley and acres of
growing crops may be washed away.
Grasshoppers may, and probably will.
again appear in Kansas. Hot winds
will blow. but we will not hear so much
of +l,o ora cSloppers and hot winds IN,
the future.
Plenty for the Insects.
1.-The grasshoppers will find so much
to eat that they will not be noticed
and hot winds will find so much fresh
and green to blow against that they
will be checked and cooled.
Speaking seriously, however, the
farmers nowadays go about their work
with cool delberation and knowledge
of what they can accomplish. They
select the seeds and the crops they
know will produce the best results up
on the soil to be cultivated.
Certain varieties of corn and
wheat for instance, require more heat
and moisture than others. Where the
growing seasons are usually dry and
hot the farmer will not plant the corn
which the farmer where more moisture
is to be expected would use
Farming is fast being reduced to a
science, if it may not be said it has
reached that stage already. Scientific
methods now widely prevail. Deep
blowing, soil investigation, seed selec-
ton, improved machinery. all combine
to assure the farmers at harvest time