The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-12-28

Conservation of the purity Of the
soil, is one of the very gravest prob
lens with which the American nation
is face to face in the belief Of Prof. Fl.
L. Bolley Of the North Dakota A. G.
The following paper on this subject
was read by Professor Bolley at the
late meeting of Agricultural colleges
and experiment stations in Washing
ton, D. G.
Professor Bolley will deliver an adj
dress upon the same technical phases
Of this study at a meeting OF .Ameri-
can botanists at the sessions OF the
American Association for the Advance
ment of Science at Minneapolis this
week.
Following is the paper delivered at
Washington, which is of vital interest
to every farmer in the northwest:
From plain attempt to inculcate
the idea of proper conservation of our
national resources, whether of forests
coal, or mineral deposits, the thought
has continually broadened until In al
most every daily newspaper, and by
almost every public speaker, the idea
of conservation is giving new and
broader meaning.
There are those who are insisting
upon proper conservation OF the health
of our people, advocating saving Of the
lives Of individuals and the persisten;
fighting of diseases. This conserva-
ton Of the health and strength OF our
people is a matter Of the utmost i'm
portance, but the difficulty OF making
progress along such lines is great
The field In which errors can be COM
mitted to bring about Ill health and
| disease is so great and the theories
as to how to preserve health are sc
numerous and so inapplicable to the
many and varied conditions of life thai
progress seems very slow.
We hear much of the conservation
of the forests. Here, again, we meet
with great natural obstacles. The ex-
penses of proper picketing or inspect
Ing and guarding, even the nationd
preserves are large and our legislator.
are slow to grant the necessary funds
for this sort Of work. Thus insufficient
care is expended on our national for.
ests to clean up the underbrush, anC
we have few, If any, laws which will
compel property owner to clean w
| combustible matter. The great fire!
rush through and destroy Thousands
| Of miles of valuable timber, much
property and many lives. Thus, as
nation, we have much to learn Of tn,
conservation of forests before an,
great progress will be apparent. ever
in protecting them from fires. We d.
not, for example, seem even to have
learned that the time to fight fores
fires is in the wet season Of the year
The only hope, after the fires begin t,
rage in the dry season, is for rain, ant
all fighting is essentially Intellectual
Then too, aside from these natural OBJ
stacles there Is the inordinate greed o
certain classes Of people who are per
fectly willing to use up every bit o
valuable timber in such a ruthles
manner as TO destroy the remaining
ing young growth, if they may but rea
a few more dollars by the rapid plac
ing Of the same on the market.
So also runs the story of exploita
ton and wasting Of mineral resources
coal, iron, copper, etc. SO too, It /
with our phosphate beds, which fur
nish the most rare and valuable of al
plant foods. National welI-being mat
tiers little to the exploiters, If onl
they may reap the greatest amount O
cash returns in the shortest possibl
time. These valuable fertilizing mate
rials are being shipped abroad an
sold at a price amounting to but
mere tri1e Of their real value to GU
people as a nation