The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-04-29
AIDS THE
FARMER

by-products. Seed is being developed
that has but one germ (most ,beets
seeds lave more)-seeds that can be
planted as corn is planted, cultivated
without hand work, topped by machin-
cry, and lifted by machinery. When
this point is reached we shall make
our w sugar with machinery from
the pillow to the factory. The Ameri-
a farmer likes to sit on a spring
seat, and we must provide for him.
Denatured Alcohol
No more coal is being made, our
wood fuel is getting scarce. and the
supply of mineral oils will some day
cease. 1t is high time we were look
ing about for sources OF light, heat,
and power. Other countries are doing
this. Alcohol meets the requirements
and starchy plants yield alcohol. One
of u explorers last year found he
Siberia1s Tomsk growing a large va
riety of potato for the alcohol it
yields. He brought back half a ton of
them, which will be distributed this
spring among the experiment stations
The southern c~avassa, yams, and the
sweet potatoes will yield alcohol, as
will the sugar beet. Corncobs give II
gallons of alcohol to n ton and
sweet corn stalks seven. Many refuse
plants will be used and much u1mar-
ketable fruit n vegetable matter.
The farm is ready to supply heat,
light, and power when other sources
fail. Many localities in the West suf-
fer for fuel in winter when storms
are severe Or cars are scarce. We
ave legislation to permit the making
of alcohol without payment of axes
when mixed with something to pre-
vent its use as a beverage-wood al
MI -,--~I-
coming wnen the people remote from
wood, coal, Or oil will orange to
grow plants rich in starch for their
supply of light, heat, and power. The
present inquiry is along the lines of
economical production. as il all new
enterprises. The cornstalks of the
corn belt that are not used for fodder
would make very large quantities of
alcohol, which would Gbe extracted and
the refuse returned to the soil or used
for feed, to maintain necessary organ
ic matter, alcohol not being a fertil-
izer. The Department of Agriculture
is experimenting along this line, and
also with regard to new devices for
burning this new fuel.
Rice.
Down on the Gulf coast is a strip
of country a hundred miles wide and
four or five hundred miles long. Twen
ty years ago this country was used
mostly for cattle pasturage and could
be bought for from 81 to So per acre.
1t was discovered that rice would grow
there. The Department fostered this
industry, introducing new methods
and new seed. Twice we had to send
our men to India, China, and Japan
in order to secure new information
and new varieties. Each time we got
what we wanted.
Seven years ago the output of rice
from this country was $50, 10000 tb
Last year it was over SOC, 0 0,000fb.
Texas alone now produces more thar
nalf of this amount. Thousands of
farmers from the grain fields of the
North nave focked to this region, and
homes and entire cities Ia beer
built up is a result of his industry.
Nitrogen Supply.
One of the greatest agricultural
questions of this country is the main
tena1ce of the fertility of the soil.
One of the questions involved in this
subject is the supply of nitrogen.
Prophets have told us in past years
that it was only a question of time
wnen America would cease to be a
grain-producing country on account of
the lack of nitrogen. These prophe-
cies have not come true, for the rea-
son that American genius has found
a way to meet the emergencies as
they arise and will continue to fnd
a way. Dur chief sourc of nitrogen
at the present time is from the va
rious chemicals imported from foreign
countries. We also gain considerable
nitrogen from legumes. AS a means
of encouraging the production of nj
trogen at home the Department is put
ting forth every effort to induct far
mers to grow these legumes. In the
South, of course, one kind of iegume
must be grow In the Middle West
red clover is a standard crop. These
legumes gather nitrogen from the air,
store it up, and give it back to the
soil. Besides this method, the De-
partme1t has developed a laboratory
system of encouraging legumes to ga
Their more nitrogen from the air. It
takes the little organisms that grow
on the roots of the legumes, handles
them in the laboratory, and sends
them out to the farmers, so that they
can treat their seed in such a way
as to induce the plants from this seed
become strenuous nitrogen collec-
tors. The Department last year sent
over 100000 lots of these nitrogen
cultures to farmers throughout the
land who wished to plant clovers, al
falfas, cowpeas, and other such crops.
Cotton.
Cotton is prominently the money
of this and 1t is the bone and
sinew of the South and, of course,
means much to the North. Naturally
he Department has done much work
On cotton. With an annual value of
over $500, 00O, 900, the crop is worthy
Of our most careful investigation.
Millions of dollars have been saved
to the cotton planters through the De-
work on insects and dis
eases which affect the crop. Millions
more, we fee confident, will be bro't
20 the farmer through improvements
cottons by breeding and selection.
The cotton has been left pretty much
% take care of itself; consequently
title improvement has been made in {
he staple. The Departments experts !