The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-09-07
SEC. WILSON
At ST. P AUL
He Tells of the Dimin-
ishing Productivity of
the Farms

ST. Paul. Sept. flames Wilson.
secretary of the department OF ag-
riculture. before the Conservation
Congress, made an address on Amer
lean farms and farm lands, as fol-
lows:
The most important feature Of
farm conservation Is the soil. The
farmer prospers while the soil re
spends to his work and yields good
crops he ceases to do we'll when tho
soil refuses to respond to his labor.
The people of the older nations
take care OF soil fertility as u matter
OF prime necessity and long ago ascer-
talncd the proper succession or
crops. their relation to the soil and
the feeding OF man and animals. They
knew the soil must be fed and the
proper physical conditions to main
tain. and learned from experience how
to do IT, They learned that the decay
ing plant returned TO the soil was
the best food the growing plant could
have They became aware that the
removal OF crops from the farm re
suited In soil deterioration unless the
equivalent was returned from some
source, Ancient history tells us that
the legume was used in rotation be-
fore Heliriegel discovered It's office
in fixing nitrogen In the soil; the
value OF bones was known as fertil-
izer before Liebig gave us their an
alvsis. The office Of sulphuric acid
was known In making superphos-
phate through which the husband
man got the immediate benefit OF the
fertilizers In the bones.
During the short history 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
reople have been well fed and until
recently thcy have been cheaply fed
This has been due in part no doubt
% the occupancy OF land easily OBJ
tainabIe as soon as the older refused
| to Weld abundantly and is one OF the
! prime causes oil farm deseruon that
\ Il now attracting 50 much attention
Manufactures increased and pros
pered greatly during the last hall
century because food was cheaper In
our country than In any ono with
= which we competed. Food is chear
no longer. Population has Increased
faster than production from the soil
4 new soil given to all who desired
was the basis Of our past prosperity
Tho soils OF our older settlements
we're robbed and neglected in The
cast and in the south; they had III
nc or no attention Railways we:'
pushed into the Mississippi VALLEY
where the glaciated soils were s'
rich. so easily cultivated, and sup
noscd to be inexhausuble The gov
ernment policy of giving farms to th'
oeople has exhausted the supply II
the regious where rainfall usually as
sures good crops. The mountain
ranges hold the snow and some val
lev lands are being irrigated whicl
/ Weld abundantly. but only sinai
nor cent OF land west OF the ont
bnndredth meridian ls being ireiea'
ed So we have found our limita
tions Bread and meat are so des
that employers OF labor are under tn
necessity OF increasing compensatiol
that people may I've.
since the Civil war heavy export
. atlons from the farm have paid for
cign debts aud kept the balance O
trade In our favor. Expectation
from the farm are steadily falling OF
both of meats and bread stuffs. W