The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1909-05-06
Our System of Soil Wasting is crimi-

1t sees hard for a great many OF
our people to distinguish thee differ
ence between a system of real farm
ing and the prevailing system OF
cropping, yet there is vast differ
ence Fhe one system means the
handing down from generation to gen.
GRAFTON of a constantly dmproving soil.
No one knows how long this may go
ON, because no one as yet knows the
real capacity of an acre OF soM We
do know, however, of soil IN the
older countries that have been farmed
for nearly a thousand years that
are supposed to be richer today than
when man took charge of them.
When we realize that this little
thin crust of soil may be needed for
ten Thousand years yet to produce
food with which to feed the inhabl-
tants of our world-with the chances
favorable to an increasing population
all the time-the real significance OF
what a constantly improving soil
means become apparent, and our
selfish system of soil robbery begins
to take ON the aspect of criminallty
In plain English, it means starving
our descendants; and for a few extra
present dollars we do not, any of us,
wish to lay ourselves liable to such a
charge, l am sure. All men with any
manhood at all are DESTROYS of doing
some good as they go through the
world, and it is to such men that the
writer of this has endeavored to APP
peal for number of years, through
the Southern Farm Gazette, and by
10 f0ly " Hf
along with their other lines of farm
ing, because from quite an extensive
personal experience and a rather care
full study of farming conditions over
a goodly portion of the United States
he firmly believes that only through
the system OF live stock can profit
able system of farming continue on
the average farm, and at the same
time preserve and increase the fertil-
ity of that farm
We have known men who, having
a good-sized bank account, would
strain every nerve to maintain and
earnestly add something to that
account, never considering for a mo-
ment the use OF amy part of lit except
the interest therefrom Yet these
same mem would continue to rob
their farms year after year, failing
to realize that their soil was d far
more profitable bank account and
more easily added to, because of out
side sources that could be brought to
bear to aid them i'm their work. This
loo : to the writer to be the height
of folly, looking at the problem only
from the present dollar standpoint,
and saying nothing of the duty the
land holder owes to posterity.
We see the great lines OF
railroads stretching across the
continent with spurs running into
almost every nook and corner of our
great country. We hear the roar OF
the millions of looms and spindles
in cur great mills. We see the vast
plies of iron ore and coal that are
the raw materials for use in our
thousands of great foundries. We
stand with hats off and wonder at
the vaetrless of it all and forget for
the time being that all this wealth
and greatness depend entirely upon
the tIfrl covering of powdered rock
and hunnus that we call soil, and
back of this soil, upo4 the farmer ON
whom the whole burden OF it all
rests.
My people, &sn't it problem
worthy of any OF us, this care OF the
soil, and should We not think well be-
fore allowing Ourselves to neglect
every possible means of profitably inn