The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-04-24

near SOOn. buI
Prof. w. J. Spillman, the depart
ment of agriculture expert, who
knows as much about American
farming conditions as any man,
says that the American farmer is
NOV prosperous. All the talk about
rural opulence is but CUFF, bunk,
wind, tommyrot and stuff-and-non-
sense.
The fact is, the average farmer
in the corn belt lives in very
hand-to-mouth fashion. True, he
makes living, and has paid for
his farm, in many cases, but that
is about all He isn't riding
around in any purring, six-cylinder
automobile.
About six men out of every $50
have become rich at farming" said
Prof. Spillman. THAT is. you take
an average middle western town
ship about five or six miles square.
You will find in it about $50 farms.
Six are prosperous and the owners
have become wealthy men, and l44
are poor"
Now, six prosperous farmers out
OF every $50 men who are farming
isn't general rural prosperity. TAX
ing basis of $50 farms to Prof.
Spillmans township, you find the
amount of prosperity to be just 4
per cent. The other 90 per cent
have failed to pile up any wealth.
The professor has certainly
kicked the props from under this
falls republican campaign argu-
ment. Also, he punches holes III
the plea of the food trust that the
workmanship farmers are the
cause of high food prices.
1t isn't politics that worries Prof.
Spillman, but a matter of deep con
Germ to every one, city jewellers
and all. For. it is this very lack
of wealth that is holDlng back the
filling of the middle western soil
as it ought to be titled. And unless
the land is farmed properly and
that soon. there is going to be a
real scarcity Of food.
The wheat and corn belts have
been under cultivation now for APP
proXimately 80 years" said Prof.
Spillman. I'm all that time most
of the farmers have been exploiting
the soil. They have taken away all
the soil would yield and have put
nothing back. They have literally
mined out the valuable, growth nur-
turing minerals"
Just how far this mining process
can go under unscientific farming
is shown in the last annual year
book of the department.
Figuring it up in pounds, an acre
of corn, yielding 100 bushels to the
acres, takes fodder and all, from
the soil in one season l4S pounds
of nitrogen. % pounds of phosphor-
us and Il pounds of potassium. At
- cents per pound this nitrogen is
worth $22.20, at II cents per pound
the phosphorus is worth $2.16 and
the potassium, at cents, is worth
$i26.
In other words, the unscieutific
farmer, with his corn crop. has re-
duced the actual value of his acre
of ground $2922.
Other crops are even greater
drains upon fertility. which is value
A full crop OF alfalfa cuts $75,S4
from an acres value. Glover sucks
up $500 worth of plant food. A
yield of GOO bushels of apples on
an acre of ground takes out 5000
from the soils value.
"A half century of mining the
soil" said Prof. Spillman. has re
duced its fertility to point where
we must change our methods il we
are to have crops of any size. The
thing to do is to restore the wealth
to the soil by scientific farming.
"It is here we are met with the
fact that the body of farmers in
the wheat and corn belts have not
the necessary capital to put scien-
titic farming into operation. Cattle
are needed to restore the stolen
fertility, and the farmers haven't
the money to buy stock.
THAT the farmer must have can
ital Is a thing city people do not
understand | get letters from
many business men saying they are
intending to take up farming, and
asking my advice. If they haven't
sufficient capital I usually advise
against it. Farming is becoming
more and more one of the profess
sions, and 1t needs brains and
money to make 1t pay.
Somebody divided men into
three classes: First, those men
who do things before their fellows
even see the necessity of so doing.
Such men are always leaders i'm
whatever business they may take
up. The second. and by far the
largest class, are those men who
are able to do what they are told.