Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1909-12-31
Mr.. Hills Omaha Address.

L'1A 4A1lA Siildtld CSGs
Mr.. James J. Hill. president of
the Great Northern railway, deliv-
cred an address at the Corn Show
at Omaha which deserves the seri-
GUS consideration of all thinking
farmers. Mr.. Hill on account of his
position can command the atten-
ton Of the public generally and
because of his ability and pro-
found study of agriculture, as
we'll as transportation, for many
years deserves the attention of all
thinking farmers.
a number of his recent speeche ,
have been misunderstood aud he
has been regarded in some qu1r-
terS as a pesslmist Nothing could
be further from the truth. His po-
sltion briefly is that on account Of
the natural increase of populations
at home and the large influx Of
population OF this country. about
30 to the square mile, or 90,000,-
900 in all, VII, by the MIDDLE OF
the century, reach 2C0,0000U0 3ut
lcng before t;iiS time, unless farm
ing methods are improved, we will
cease to bo n grain exporting coun-
try and viii be compelie' to in =
port our TODD from abroad, and
that the only remedy for THIS is
better cultivation Of the farms. in
creasing the wheat yield from IA
bushels to 30 and our other grains
proportionately. This will bring
very serious problems and arrest
long before the middle of the cen
fury, our present development and
prosperity unless the American
farmer changes his agricultural
methods and follows the example
Of the farmers of the old world
Germany has 300 inhabitants to
the square mile, ten times as tense
population as the United States,
and yet imports comparatively lit
tie Holland has AGA inhabitants
to the square mile with very little
importation from the outside. Den
mark has a dense population, and
while it imports some food, it is
one of the most prosperous agri-
cultural communities of the world.
AS far as he goes Mr.. Hill s po-
sitlon is absolutely sound. The diff
ticulty, however, is that he does
not tell us how we are to secure
farm labor necessary for this in
tensive cultivation. The farmer is
now doing the most that he can
with the labor at hand. He is US
ing machinery such as no other
country uses. His farming requires
a higher degree of skill on the part
of the laborer, or the man who
actually does the work, than in
any other country in the world,
and this brings us right up to the
proposition that we have been ar
guing for some time. In order to
get this labor necessary in the
house and on the farm, there must
be check to the immigration of
labor from these great central
states. In other words, the farm
population, which alone cap fur
nish the skilled labor, must be
kept on the farm instead of go
ing to distant sections and to the
cities. We can in time, as England
did in half century, bring up our
yield of wheat from IA bushels to
30. We can bring up our yield of
corn from % to 40 bushels, but it
cannot be done without an in
creased supply of labor Nor oan
it be done with an increased sup
ply of labor without the more in
tclligent cultivation on which Mr..
Hill insists. The proper solution Of
the problem, therefore. so far as
the states in the Mississippi valley
are concerned, depends on whether
we can arrest the drift of popula-
ton to the town and to other sec
tons of the country which prom
Use for the present greater oppor-
tunities for success allace
Farmer