The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-05
AN ATTENTION NEEDED.

Dr. Wiley, the sometimes visionary chemist of the government Department of Agriculture. is making series of experiments looking to utilizing waste corn and potatoes by manufacturing wood alcohol from them to be used as fuel and for manufacturing pur- poses. Some good may result from this. but The Brooklyn Eagle points out something far better than that.
 "All through the hill country of the East" says The Eagle. we hear about abandoned farms and complaint is widespread that our lands have de- teriorated so that farmers are unable to make their living. Part of this is due to stripping the forests from the hillsides. thus decreasing the water supply. leaving fields to run dry which formerly had abundant moisture. But more of 1t Is due to the failure to feed out on the farm as much of the crop as possible. thus securing the needed fertilizer in the natural way. and of the best possible quantity. If as the result of pr. wiley's experiments stills are set up In farming communities and tho farmers sell to the stills corn and small potatoes on which they might raise pigs the farmers will have to invest their profits from the stills in commercial fertilizers which will be, inferior to that which they could have secured from their own barpyards. There is talk of utilizing watermelons and muslxmelons which fail to come to ma turity. and no doubt there is a good deal of waste which could be turned into alcohol with greater profit than any use to which it is now put. But as a general principle the greatest en- emy of good farming is the man who interferes with the natural cycle by which vegetable products are return ed to the soil. The greatest waste in the country is that by which the sew. age from our towns is allowed to pois-, on streams or to be carried into the sea, instead of being returned to the soil The man who will invent a pro- cess by which that waste can be re. stored to it's proper place in the econ omy of nature, without danger to health will be a public benefactor of most far-reaching usefulness. If the Department of Agriculture can solve that problem. the Secretary under whom the work is done will become an historical figure to rank with our greatest statesmen"
 Here is a subject upon which agricul- tural and other experts may well ex- ercise their talents and skill for the betterment of humanity. As intimated by The Eagle the sewage waste is real wrong in two ways: in many places 1t literally poisons the streams, lakes and ponds into which it empties. It not only destroys or drives off the fish but what is far worse it breeds disease germs and leads to immense loss of life. It is, in short, 8 constant menace to the life and health of the people. especially in the cities and towns of the country.
 But aside from this menace to health is the fact that the farm lands of the country are falling off in fertility be. cause Of the lack of proper fertilizers. This loss Is being felt in all the older sections of the Union. and it must necessarily have a direct bearing on the future of the country. As popula- tion increases and the demand for food becomes greater, the sources of sup ply are being exhausted. This loss has heretofore been largely overbalanced by bringing new lands into cultivation. but this cannot go on much longer. All the new lands of the States and Terri tories are fast being brought into use and the time is not far distant when there will be no more "newgrounds" for the farmer to cultivate. Then how is the demand for food to be filled?
 All these considerations lead to the absolute necessity of returning to the farm lancs as much as possible of the fertilizing principle taken from tn lem. and which is now worse than wasted. We do not know that it would be pos sible to form anything like a proper estimate of the value of the sewage from any city. but it would be enor- nous. Practically all the refuse from human beings. from animals, fowls and vegetables. which are Natures own soil-rebullders, and which would do more to restore the fertility of the farms and gardeners than all the com. mercial fertilizers that can be used all this inestimable requisite for good crops goes to waste and to pollute the waters on which human and animal life exists.
 These are the known existing condi- tionS of the present. and they are not creditable to the intelligence and in- ventiveness of the American people. It is not only waste of that which is always present but 1t is a waste which threatens the future agricultural in- terests of the country and with 1t the food supply of future generations; gen. erations constantly increasing. and which must be supplied with food from