Amador ledger., 1908-09-11

power is being utilized. "roo little
of the consumers money goes TO the
producer aud too much of it goes TO
the railways and the middlemen.
The cost Of railway transportation is
four times the cost of transportation
by water. Cheap freights and the
resultant simplllication of our
methods of carriage would eliminate
unnecessary middlemen and their
profits. We have not only been
wasteful with our resources, but ex-
travagant with our money. The
Mississippi has beer abandoned
virtually as waterway, even though
it was the means of opening aud
building very great part of the
country.
River Packets Created Culture.
Couture refinement and intellect.
uality followed the old river packets
on which life was seen in its best
phases. Men rode on them and be-
held silver, china and napkins for
the first time The packets have gone,
but boats for heavy freights are GER
tainties of the future. We are to re-
turn to scientific principles in com
merce. AS boy, | dreamed of a
canal from the Mississippi to the
Great Lakes and of a continuous
water route to Hudson Bay. Coming
to manhood, | thought the great de-
velopment of our water transporta-
tIon would not begin for another
century. Suddenly, however, we
learned that our railways were
choked with freight and were in
adequate for the requirements of our
constantly expanding business. They
fell behind. and 1t is economically
impossible for them ever TO catch up.
Thus we are driven to the water
through necessity as were our fathers.
1.-The new era III transportation
which | thought hundred years
away is at hand. a deep channel is
to extend from the Great Lakes to
the GClf of Mexico, and huge battle
ships will he seen off the ports cf
Chicago. Cleveland, Buffalo and
Milweukee. it Japan, tor instance,
should get possession of Canada. The
wheat grower in Montana will load
barge and send it to New Orleans
without breaking his cargo. Mass
achusetts manufacturers will go to
Florida over an inland waterway.
There will be systems of canals of
uniform depth, and the railways will
bring them freight and leave to them
all business of the heavier kind
lumber, corn, cotton, iron, ore and
so on. In short, the United States is
to have a scientific system of rail
and water transportation equal to the
needs of the country and at fair
cost
One Billion Tons of Soil Wasted.
''How many tons of soil annually,
are washed away by the rains?"
lone million tons. at least, and it
is renewed very slowly. Half of the
soil goes into the Gulf of Mexico and
the rest into the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans. The waste, and it is really
dangerous, is wholly unnecessary. be-
cause it is the result of floods, and
foods, as have said, are prevent
inn
of agriculture will stop the loss and
thus increase the productiveness OF
our farms fully 20 per cent.
"When l was a geoIogist in the
field, years ago, talked contour
farming to the planters of the south
that is, the planting of corn and
cotton in semiclrcular rows, so as to
lessen the wash of the rains. The
planters said that good farming meant
straight rows. However, they
gradually accepted my suggestion,
and now contour farming is almost
universally followed in the hilly
regions of the south.
"When l ride through that part OF
the country and look out of the Car
window no scenery pleases me quite
so much as does a field on a steep
slope, planted in crescents OF corn in
the tassel or of cotton in the bloom. u
JAMES b. MORROW.
Globe Democrat.