The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1910-10-13
IOWA SOILS SPECIAL
Thousands are Hearing the Gospel
Preached Every Day. .
iowa Soils Special.

An incident in the life of Sam Jones
illustrates what one man thought
about the study of soils. He was ask
ing to lead. men away from worldly
ideals to higher views of life. He ad-
dressed himself to the town men
who were bent on paving their streets
and do semi-sinful things to get the
money. Sam said to them. you men
will be calling for the moisture found
in one small elod in these same muddy
streets some day to cool your parched
tongues" He evidently thought the
subject of vital Importance. So do
the thousands who hear the soils Cos
pei preached on the special train.
The Burlington road through it's man.
ayers, Messars. E. r. Puffer, general
! freight agent of Chicago, w. G. Wag-
ner, division freight agent and M. M.
Reno, division passenger agent, both
of Burlington and Edward H. Hunter,
special representatives of Des Moines
is doing great part to help the peo-
pie in this important study. They
very well knew that all the people
could not attend the Agricultural Col
lege or the shorter course and that the
next best thing is to take the college
to the people. This is the basis of
the special train service and it has
just been found out that the soils train
is of prime importance because the
question of good soils lies at the very
fD1Oda tinn Of suCnocCf,,I farYyoinu If
the price of Iowa land goes in ten
years from $50 to $3.50 per acre and
in the same time the fertility of the
soil loses by so per cent of it's rich
ness, it is easy to see that we are up
against a serious problem.
1t is the discussion of such vital
questions as this that Profs. Holden,
Stevenson, Hauser and Stewart are
engaged and all the people have to
do is to turn out and hear it. Do they
do it? Take Bedford for example.
Tuesday evening at 500 o'clock there
were 500 people at the depot listening
to these able speakers. So great was
the assembly that an overflow meeting
was held by Prof. Snyder on the plat
form while Holden and Stephenson
instructed in the coaches. The town
had the enterprise and thoughtfulneSS
to greet the party with a fine cOrnet
band. 1t showed the right spirit and
while the work of the train would not
be benefited If 1t were always thus
greeted because of lack of time) +,
yet the train party appreciated very
much the courtesy and attention they
received at Bedford and not least of
all the splendid crowd and the atten-
tive hearing.
The two days travel have gathered
in not less than 5000 to 5000 people
viction that something must be done
to preserve and build up Iowa soils,
and better fact is that they have
gone away with the method of doing
it fastened to their minds. 1t is by
the perfect and constant observance
of crop rotation-corn one or two years
followed by oats or oats and clover
one year, then clover the fourth year.
This series will rest and refresh the
| soil, will kill or make impossible a
dangerous insect, species of beetle
that cost Iowa last year the enormous
sum of $10,000,OO0. This treatment
of soils with proper drainage, use of
native manures, the proper selection
of seeds and the raising of live stock
to be fed on the farms instead of sell
! ing the grain product at the elevators
these are the things they teach at the
soils special and who will say they
are important?
This great work undertaken by the
Burlington at heavy expense to them
but at no expense to the public ought
to engender the very best of feeling
toward them. Who could do more;
Who has ever done half so much
This item is worth thinking about
One other thought: If the farmer o.
southern Iowa shall make a ton o.
butter on his farm he exhausts bu
about so cents worth of soil fertility
land if he would brush the cows bet
ter and wash his hands more often /
would not be half that. If he proSuC
es a ton of corn he takes away SIS
\ worth of fertility. The corn is wortl
SS5. the butter worth 500. Which hat
he better do to preserve the soil, maxi
butter or raise corn and sell it at tn
elevator? ]. w. JOHNSON.