Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1910-07-29
PRACTICAL TALKS TO
THE FARMER
Necessity Of Improving Soils and
Methods of Farming.

crops In all the states are adj
mittedly lower by half than they
should be and it is tremendously
important that this be remedied
A better, more methOdical, and
more scientific farming must be
the medium, and the educated
farmer, who knows the why's and
Wherefores, the Influential factor
promoting more thorough tlllage,
better cultivation, careful seed
selection, proper fertilization and
a rational rotation Of crops. Seed
selection alone may be largely
helpful, and, as an examination
Of this. President Waters, Of the
Kansas Agricultural College cites
that where seed of their college
bred wheat was used, the yield
was increased on the average five
bushels per acre. If this were ap
piled to the States total area OF
SIX and one-half to seven million
acres of wheat annually, the i'm
pOrtance and possibilities OF seed
selection would indeed be most
f6rcefully presented.
Owing to early-day abundance
of unOccupied land and the easy
changing from exhausted fields
to fresh ones, Americans not un-
naturally fell into the habit Of
S'SOi robbing," and it is claimed
the depletion of fertility in this
country has gone forward faster
than that recorded of any other
country. Until now the American
farmer has been engrOSSed in set
ting a vast domain, but the time
Is here for calling a halt and for
striving for that greater achieve
Tent, more bushels from fewer
acres. In this the foremost agri-
cultural states. through their Ag-
ricultural Colleges and Expert
ment Stations, are taking leading
parts, which should continue un-
til the maximum has been reached
What that maximum is, no one
knows, but, with a soil naturally
as fertile as any, its yield should
be as big as that of any. England
and Germany, with their acre av-
erages of 1922 and 26.1 bushels of
wheat respectively. as compared
with America s IA bushels at once
suggests something of the posi-
bAities. as well as something OF
the American farmers shOrtcOm-
mgs.
1t took a century for our peO-
ple TO learn that our deep alluvia
soils could be exhausted. Now,
approximately all land outside th'
arid territory suitable for farm
ing is occupied; the Great West,
that land of promise, is practical
" settled, but with these greater
areas under cultivation the differ
enceS btween aggregate prOduc'
ton and consumption are grown|
smaller and smaller, as indicated
for example by the exports OF
wheat. which in the five year per
6Od of 1S94-9S averaged 32 pei
cant of the annual production and
ir 19O4-OS had fallen to II pei
cent. In the five year period OF
1S94-9S the average annual pro
ductiOn was was 535, $4,000 anC
go, $4,000 bushels in the 1904
O8periOd. Deducting the average
yearly exports in each it is ShOwl
that the consumption of wheat a
home has increased 30 per cent
This problem of the loaf mus
find its solution in garnering
greater yield per acre.
But. of course, without the co
operation of the man who tills tn
soil. little headway can be mad,
Il should not. however, be diff
cult to interest the farmer in sue
a work, for. SelfiShly viewed. anC
who of us is not selfish ?-h,
would be a large gamer, and, tn
methods that must be employed
would leave to pOsterity that rief
est material heritage, fruitful
soil. The cost Of a large yiel'
per acre and a small yield is in
large degree the same and the on
lv noticeable difference in the tv
would appear in the items of hal
vesting and marketing. That il
in a general way and as it aver
ages, it costs about as much t
plOw poorly as to do the work i