The Washington herald., 1907-11-19
IMPROVING AGRICULTURE
By FREDERIC J. HASKFN

One OF the most remarkable tendencies
ot the times in the United States is the
depletion Of its great resources. Every
leading Industry is being developed 10
sach an unprecedented extent that ex-
perts fear the country may be handed
down 10 the next generation barren OF
the great natural resources that have
made il first in the family OF nations. The
Geological Survey. which knows the min
eral resources of the United States as 4
child knows its picture book. has stated
that the coal supply Will be exhausted.
al the present rate OF consumption. m
less than seventy-fye years. that the date
or the exhaustion OF the natural gas sup
ply IS not 4 generation hence. that the
petroleum OF The country Will cease TO
FORM the basis Of a profitable industry
within the memory OF men now living
ana hat even the arteslan wells are los
ing some Of their force by the reckless
waste OF the water they pour out Like
wise, the Forest Service sees the com
pletc exhaustion OF the timber supply OF
the country within a quarter of a century
But there is to-day one great conserving
force-the farm. While every other in
dustry is tearing Gown, the farmer is
building up While others are -obbing
the soil OF its treasures, he is adding 10
its possibilities Intelligent cultivation.
scientific treatment. judicious fertllizing.
are making the soil produce unbounded
wealth. and AZ the same time making il
more productive for the years 10 come
Under the stimulus of the Department Of
Agriculture ii is going forward with a
rapidity which has never been eQualed in
the sixty centuries during which man has
earned his living by the sweat OF his
brow. Farms are becoming more fertile
every year and new areas are annually
being added 10 the producing acreage
The work OF the Department Of AgricuI-
tUre has done and Will do much for the
nation. II has increased the per-acre
yield Of wheat from SO bushels in 1866
10 l5.5 bushels In 1906. which means that
the farmers produced TO. .0o0.O09 bushels
more under 1876 conditions than they
would have produced under 1876 condi-
tons on the same number of acres. II
has increased the pcr-acre yield Of corn
from 25.S bushels in ISC6 TO 3G3 bushels
In 1906. OF $500 co. bushels more in the
aggregate than would have been produced
on the same number o. acres in -S66. The
money value % S1ese Two increases !
alone. under prices prevailing last De-
cember. Is S26S 9.1O0 thus abundantly
justifying the statement Of Secretary
Wilson that the department has already
brought about results worth hundreds OF
millions of dollars annually.
90. H.. - .
agricultural interests os the country IN !
the past forty years. Secretary Wilson !
feels that the department has scarcely |
crossed the threshold of its mission of |
discovery and education, and that the |
farmer is just aw3king 10 the latent pos
sibilit es Of the soil. The department has |
proved that by simply following Well |
principles OF farm manage /
ment the cotton growers Of the country /
could grow a bale and Il quarter 10 the /
acre where they now grow twO-fifths or 1
bale. Were this done the cotton crop.
AZ present prices. would be worth nearly /
3 Geo 100000. where to-day il is worth but /
S6i0 600 600. Secretary Wilson foresees the
time. within quarter Of century, when
the corn crop per acre can be increased
by One-half This would add another half
billion dollars. at present prices, TO the
annual production account of the farmer.
Wheat, he says, may be made 10 yield
Dne-half snoTe to the acre within a gen
grafton, and, at present quotations on
he same acreage. that would mean
another quarter billion dollars for the
farmer The day when the per-acre yield
IF potatoes Will be doubled. he thinks.
S not far distant, and the same is true
)f tobacco. Fruits. berries and Vege-
-ables have a future too large to esti-
mate The cannery, the fast freight. and /
he refrigerator car have overcome the II
questions of latitude. longitude, and sea- II
son so effectually that the American
'armer can actually supply every possible
demand of the whole world.
While the department is developing the
arm and its crops. it expects to further
develop it's animal products Secretary II
Wilson thinks farmers will learn to feed II
more prolific breeds and strains of hogs. II
)ne-fourth of the dairy cows of the II
United States do not pay for their II
eed, and the farmer is now learning Il
low TO test the value of the products Of II
ach COW on his farm with a view to II
Eliminating the ones that do not pay their
'oard. II the average COW in the United II
states can be induced 10 make lust five
'ounds OF butter more each year, it will
id $30O0O,000 annually to the wealth or
he farm. II takes plant food out of the
oil worth s7.50 to grow a ton of wheat Il
worth So. a ton of butter worth $500 re-
uires only 30 cents worth of plant food
or its making. If all the hens in the
ountry each laid a dozen more eggs last
ear, the increased value of the egg sup
ly would have amounted TO $5O,0O0.0OO.
Education is TIE key by which the de-