New-York tribune., 1907-12-30
SOIL EXHAUSTION.
Its 1uoidance Sought by GoUern-
ment Surrey.
TFrom The Tribune Bureau


Washington Dec 2s-The greatest fear of the
American soil tillers exhaustion and uBproductlVe-
ress OF land is rapidly being dispelled by 'he eA
rer;rlerts Investigations Of the bureau OF SONS
here This branch Of the Department of Agr1cuit-
,re has received little advertising; it does ITS wok
quietly and the cities hear little OF H. out 10 inc
great and small farming districts TO the resi'a'iis
plauter and TO the dependent settler, IL Is sfeie
boon and daily counsellor IT has SHOWN the "aS
10 scientific farming il has made brler patches H'o
grassy fertile plains, swamps into blooming corn
1ieIds sandy prairies into acres OF proouclo"' ia
short a man learn in an hour from re Ouledu
az soils what his father spent years IN ascertain
,ny and he can learn it witt greater sccuIacS-
-. : man ,r a report he can what crop his
land will best produce. what it will not yieid anu
,erhaps that it will bring him undreaned oI pfoo
1,ca and wealth The bureau of soils has maze
many farmers rich and the number that iaahe "Se
Of the bureau is increasing daily
~, nossibilities seem unlimited its results at pres
On. are extraordinary but its scope IS OF necessity
limited because of lack OF funos WIN Which 10
ar1- on .be work completely and conprehensVely-
,h s,,tborities of the bureau under the direction
=, r,-ofessnr Milton Whitney. have asked Tor sS"''
600 for the fiscal year. 1909, and they nave soie 90
surances that This amount VIII oe appl S -, -
,~,apress REPRESENTATIVES who nave stuu'ou -
-,o-tines of the bureau and who have satlSieo
themselves OF its utility. say that ha4r a iiliio -
,sue5cent and that the tremendous aoVail'ae
&c working TO the country, both monetary anu 80,
,,is. warrant a much larger expefolIuLe- ny @
TYa
oaest in their request, and are dally eneaseo -
I;;,,~ cha work of the institution 10 al "no
90 irtercsted What VIII be accompIlsneu VIZ - ~
.5ooala if il is granted can best pe saue Is .e,o
,,,e;ie-ation of what has been dohe win '40 T'
spent in lsh -, 4o,.o+a. n large
=. of ifs attention TO surveying, naplne O.
r.seifvinc- the land OF the United oua'eS CIV ~
,e,rninpey the stituents OF son Al e.. - - e.
-, .,,,,er that a farmer wishing 20 plant q "a,
in
-, a coprse By q moments reference -
-, .,or- of the bureau. Irrigation anu rs o.,
,,,,+ ba largely credited to TINS oei'l ~ eo.;,f
,o+son owes its inception TO the puIea' .o,,,,i
.s1- end erosion ara studied IN their NV Ill.
Aalior - g 80 renorted in simple language. mn.
Sal 90, s-ansnrsnting OF seed and the adapraoii'' "
"a ~ornnlete the main uses OF ma puieao e x-,.r.
~ mans issued are used not ohiS ~ ,a--as
,a asricIlturists. but by landowners % .ar,,
".,,si,- rea, estate and railroad men f'
,nciuonis - -, como requests asking that par
Pai, " Items of land be surveyed: thousahos "a
-. a,d rerorts are asked for, ana many -,
,f annreciation snd thanks ara On 1e a 80 tn
=, tn chart every necessary poi'4on "a -,
a. ,o,,ntrv Is the ultimate aiIn puI u p
80, 20 ten wears behind even In enose
= - Ill mean g. certain and I1lrleoldl'
taosa in the value OF SOIL More 'hah 'OA'1
,bousand requests come to the ou' - sro-o
sro-n struggling farmers. from cdlue 90
.,or.ant chambers of commerce. ltoiii o'0
op1f rom
,,It,,re and geological surveys seVerai s'a'. to
: ~o,e5 With the bureau TO a consideraDie eA-
- Alabama having given $1,000 fer TINS puIPose
.,a If is said, has received thotsdhos Az i01
.ou rronortion OF the requests can be
,;a5 With as the force Of surveyors IS small
!. r.,v+.ma+;c plan is being followed out, which IN
=. .rsa of time will give satisfaction to all re-
- ,,,bsc, an increased appropriation would
greatly facilitate -. .
g diversified is the field OF operations that a
summary Of the results takes up pages or reports
~. e,,one the best achievements OF the bureau
- .ba discovery some time ago that the best
s-,,mafra tobacco could be grown in certain parts
Of Connecticut with the result that TOBACCO grow
orc in that state find their products increased from
Al cents to from 81 TO 81 a pound 1t was Iouho'
Too that wheat. tobacco and timothy wouio gro"
On similar soii found in certain portions of Vir-
siuia and New York; that the Appalachian fruit
belt could be made vastly more productive and
richer and by this discovery thousands of dollars
were made ftr she fruit growers.
Then too the abandoning Of farms in Pennsyl-
xania ana throughout New England was invest-
gated and a study MADE that these farms might
he rehabilitated The reasons for the exodus Of
farmers have been discovered and corrected in va
rious ways so that when crop fails another
which bears bountifuIly is grown. No region has
derived more benefit from the bureau than the
South. and particularly the cotton growers, who
have greatly profited by the experiments 10 de
terrlne the different constituents OF the cotton
bearing soils. Where dirainutive crops were once
secured a change of seed, suggested by the bureau
has produced abundant crops. From the South
have come thousands of petitions asking that sur
veys be made and, far il has been possible