The Florida agriculturist., 1907-12-25

keep his land up, but to improve it.
To the observant traveller through
any section of the midwest one great
fact is brought forth: The noticeable
decay in fertility of Our farming lands.
1t is not many years ago when New
York farmers, who could average II
bushels of wheat to the acre, were
attracted to the then virgin land Of
Michigan, where 40 bushels to the
acre could easily be raised. In a few
years these lands were taxed to make
even IS bushels to the acre; so again
the farmers emigrated to Iowa or
Minnesota where 40 bushels were
again possible, and indeed the rule
How about those same lands today?
The government reports show an
emigration of Our farmers to the
wheat lands of Canada of over 10000
for last year alone!
Does this not indicate an important
fact? England grows but one-tenth of
her agricultural products. America
supplies about 65 per cent of the
balance America has been the saliva
ton of Europe, whose millions of poor
laborers would have suffered the
pangs of starvation had not the broad
wheat-felds of Our land blossomed
and borne fruit. But within the past
decade, our own population has in
creased over 80 I-3 per cent. Even
with the new and fertile lands brought
under the plow, we have been unable
to meet the entire export demand
Now Our lands are practically all ap-
prOprlated; we have about reached the
limit of production, and yet Our popu-
lation sweeps onward in an irresistible
tide-and want is beginning to be felt
in every corner of our land.
What must we do to be able to meet
this great and all-powerful demand?
There is one ray of hope and it is to
science we look. The plant foods Of
which our soils have been so wantonly
depleted, are principally phosphoric
acid, potash and nitrogen These
must be supplied in available form
In many sections of Our country the
use of commercial fertilizers has be-
come a regular custom. Some, how
ever, have found but little benefit
owing, in most cases to an inferior
grade of goods. Many progressive
farmers have planted extensively of
the various legumes, which have the
property of extracting nitrogen the
most expensive of the floods s"-from
the air and leaving it as a deposit in
the soil. Such practice has been
found highly beneficial and one ex-
pertinent station has performed a
great work in bringing this one thing
before the agricultural world. This
journal has also done its full share
in the good work, as all regular read
ers can testify. We must look further,
however, for the other needed foods,
and the one place to which we can look
is the phosphate and potash factory,
where such ingredients are made
available to plant use. The writer has
no interest in such materials, though
he has in years past sold thousands
of tons of such 'plant foods" to
farmers as an agent, and has had
abundance of opportunity to judge
and observe cause and effect along
this line. We would awaken all mid
western farmers to the urgent need Of
replenishing, without needless delav,
the exhausted soil to which they and
countless thousands must look for
sustenance. The day and the hour is
at hand when the matter must be
given the most serious consideration.
Every Farm House Should Have q