East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-09-09
he most important feature of farm

The most important feature of farm
is the soil The farmer
prospers while the soil responds to
his work and yields good crops; he
ceases to do well when the soil re-
fuses to respond to his labor.
The people of the older nations take
care of soil fertility as matter OF
prime necessity and long age ascer-
tained the proper succession of crops
their relation to the soil and the feed
ing OF man and animals. They knew
the soil must be fed and the proper
physical conditions to maintain, and
learned from experience how to do it.
They learned that the decaying plant
returned to the soil with the best
food the growing plant could have.
They became aware that the removal
Of crops from the farm resulted in
soil deterioration unless the equfva-
Ancient history tells US that the le-
gume was used in rotation before
Hellriegel discovered its office in FIX
ing nitrogen in the soil; the value of
bones was known as q fertilizer be-
fore Eebig gave us their analysis
The office of sulphuric acid was
known in making superphosphate
through which the husbandman got
the immediate benefit OF the fertiliz-
ers in the bones.
During the short histsry Of our
country we have had new soils to
draw upon when exhaustion resulted
from the robbing process and much
Of the nations prosperity Is the equiv
alent Of what the soil has lost Our
people have been we'll fed and until
recently they have been cheaply fed.
This has been due in part no doubt
to the occupancy of land easily OBJ
tainable az soon as the older refused
to yield abundantly and is oae OF the
prime causes Of farm desertion that
is now attracting SO much attention.
Manufactures increased and pres
Pered greatly during the last half
century because food was cheaper in
our country than in any one with
which We competed. Food is cheap
no longer. Population has increased
faster than production from the soil.
A new soil given to all whs desired
was the basis Of our past prosperity.
The soils Of our older settlements
were robbed and neglected in the east
and In the south; they had little or
No attention. Railways were pushed
into the Mississippi valley where the
glaciated soils were rich, SO easily cul-
tivated, and supposed to be inexhaus-
tible. The government policy OF CIV
ing farms to the people has exhausted
the supply in the regions where rain
fall usually assures good crops. The
mountain ranges hold the snow and
some valley lands are being irrigated
which yield abundantiy, but only a
small per cent Of land west of the one
hundredth meridian is being irrigat-
ed So we have found our limita-
tions. Bread and meat are SO dear
that employers of labor are under the
necessity Of increasing compensation
that people may live.
Since the civil war heavy exporta-
tions from the farm have paid for
eign debts and kept the balance Of
trade in our favor. Expectations
from the farm are steadily falling off,
both Of meats and bread stuffs. We
grow more crops every year but not
enough to fed our increasing popula-
tion and keep up our experts.
Irigauoa.
The federal government is expend-
ing large sums to irrigate more land
which is wise, but the amount of wa
ter impounded is small compared
with the volume that fIews to waste.
In a recent visit to the mountain
states I saw that the most advanced
localities are every year making more
reservoirs to hold winter and spring
flows Of waters that go free Of mans
restraint to the ocean. The nation,
the states and private enterprises have
ample fields in which to work toward
greater crop production in this direc-
ton.
The lands Of the mountain states
are with little exception very rich
ues to escape in such large quanti-
ties it will pay to turn them on these
lands and reap the heavy crops that
certainly follow. After all the lands
are irrigated that can be, practically,
immense areas remain that lie above
gravity irrigation. Efforts are being
made by the federal government, the
states. private companies and indi-
viduals to grow crops on the high
lying lands that have eighteen inches
OF annual rainfall and less.
The department Of agriculture in
obedience to congressional require
ment is exploring similar lands that
exist under similar conditions
throughout the world. Some success
is being had A wheat from Africa
and Asia gives us sO,000,O0O bushels