The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-09-03

greatly to increase this minimum pres
ent yield of $4,000. 100000 per annum
of farm products. That is. we may
add 10000. 100000. or $15.OO0,000,000
every year to the national wealth IL
We so choose. And this is but be-
ginning.
There are three essentials to any
agriculture 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 indefinitely on the same
land, until It 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 i'm
mensely increased and its productive
diversion preserved from exhaustion
merely by the restorative variety of
change which seems to be a law of all
living things. The second method of
increasing yield and preserving soil
productivity Is the more liberal use
of fertilizing material, such as is pos
sible where farms are of small size
and cattle are kept in gives abundant
evidence of the extraordinary results
that may be obtained. The third factor
in Improvement. better tillage. is most
interesting of all because it opens up
unmeasured possibilities. We no more
know what is the maximum food beal-
ing capacity of the earth or Of any
small proportion 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 45,000.000
10 ;,,I or &c tnI
cultivated square miles. aided by the
This is because cultivation in Japan
is truly extensive; that is. it is no
longer even highly developed farm
ing. but market gardening. As we
approach that science. the actual
capacity OF soils for growing pur-
poses. the shelter OF plants from
frost and unfavorable elements.
and the treatment of grains and vege-
tables by separate planting and in
diviiual nurture. all limitations upon
earth's bounty appear to recede afar.
From two and seven-tenths acres in
the suburbs of Paris there have been
grown in a single season 100000
pounds of vegetables. A market gar
dener Of Paris declares that all food,
animal and vegetable. required for the
100000 people of the two great de-
partments could be grown by methods
already in use on the $3.50 square
miles of gardens surrounding the city.
1t 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. it
has been shown that people like
those of Belgium today. not an orien-
tai race accustomed to standard of
living and of labor inapplicable to US.
not living in virtual serfdom. like that
of Russia. but an industrious. fairly
intelligent and exceedingly comfort
able agricultural community. raised
from the soil food enough for the needs
of 400 persons to the square mile.
Adopting Professionally that ratio as
point of departure, though the actual
ratio of area to population gives a fig
ure considerably higher even that this.
the 414,49S.4S7 acres of improved farm
land in the United States on the date
of the last official report. an area ma
terially enlarged by the present time.
would support In comfort 317.350. 405
people; enabling them at the same
time to raise considerable food for ex-
port and to engage in necessary manu.
featuring employments. Applying the
same ration to the entire acreage of
farm lands within the United States,
both improved and unimproved, which