The San Francisco call., 1910-07-17
Waste OF SOIL
CAUSE OF EXODUS
Farmers Migrating From This
Country by Thousands Ow-
ing to Ill Conservation
impoverished Land Due TO SIM
full Neglect of Our Nat
ural Resources

WASHINGTON, July 16.-~The loss
of thousands OF finished American farm
ers who are pouring into Canada every
wear is q serious after-effect Of waste
ful exploitation and the failure TO con-
serve this country's natural resources,
especially the soil The fertility of
our soil has been reduced below the
point Of profitable production IN many
OF our communities. and people. instead
OF remaining at home and building up
- impoverished farms, are migrating in
search Of virgin land"
This explanatio OF the Canadian
movement was made few days ago by
". J. Spnlman. the expert on farm
mana cement brought into the depart
ment Of agriculture by Secretary Will
son little more than eight years ago
and now chief Of an important branch
OF the department which has done much
toward bridging the chasm between
science and practical farming. Spillman
thinks that the stream of migration
which is flowing over the northern bor-
ders should act as a warning to the
farmers Of America and show them the
need OF restoring and maintaining the
productivity Of the soil From his
standpoint. this is the most importa Mt
phase Of the whole conservation prob
lem.
FERTILITY EXHAUSTIBLE
Some Of the American emigrants are
taking up the lands in Manitoba, Al
berta and Saskatchewan, where there is
almost a stampede TO establish farms
on the virgin soil. in the belief that
the fertility Of the land is "inexhaust-
fble." Similar claims were made a few
years ago about the prairies OF the west
and middle west. Experience has proven
however that no soil is inexhaustible
unless cared for under an approved sys-
TEN Of farm management.
This country has been prodigal in
the utilization of all its natural re-
sources, especially the soil, and we are
now paying the penalty" said Mr.. Spill
man few days ago before leaving
Washington for field trip. In many
OF our older communities soil fertility
is greatly reduced. The depreciation Of
the soil due 10 primitive methods of
farming means reduced income for
lllt FARMER because OF lie reduced ca
pacity of the land, and an increase in
the cost Of food because of low Yields
Many of our farmers instead of staying
1T home and adopting methods of reno
waiting their WOrnOut soils, find it easier
to sell the old farm and pack up and
move on.
WEST NOW SUFFERS
We are facing a new situation. No
longer does the improvement of land
ia the west meet the loss due To the
abandonment Of older lands in the "a st,
combined with the increa ased demand
for the product Of the farm That the
me process of soil exhaustion which
caused the decrease of agricultural
population and abandonment Of farms
in the east is now going on in the west
and middle west is evidenced by the de-
creased yields per acre on land which
decade or SO ago was considered the
richest in the country
There is solution to the problem
which confrOnts us. and l am confident
that the American farmer is Industrious
and competent enough TO work it out
on the ground. Abandoning or selling
the farm to move to Canada does not
help matters in this direction. Abuse
of the soil must stop. The period of
eNploitive farming is past Single crop
ping and failure TO fertilize the land
properly viii continue as the causes of
. not many as in the years past
FERTILIZING NECESSARY
The per acre yield of land nust be
increased by improved farming systems
which viii include the rotation of croDs
and the wise use Of natural and com
mercial fertilizers. Intelligent farmers
now recognize the Importance of
the effect of live stock on the
fertility Of the soil. Clover. peas.
must he planted 10 restore nitro
gen to the soil and humus Legum-
inOus crops have a wonderful effect on
fertility. Corn planted after alfalfa in
Kansas and Nebraska, compared with
corn grown after nonlc guminotts crops
has shown an increase of seventy-five
per cent, according 10 q recent inves-
tigation Of the department Of agricul-
ture- The yield Of corn has been in
creased fifty per cent or more by sow
ing clover between crops.
Countless cases might be cited TO
snow the results which are secured by
really scientific farming. Z think now
OF farm In the middle west that eight
years a go was producing only eight
bushels Of wheat and twenty-five bush
els of corn 10 the acre. The owner
OF this farm was converted by rep
resentative OF the department TO the
use Of improved methods OF conserving
ana puAdluE up SOIL lertilltN. and At
the present time. and depending wholly
upon the natural resources of the farm,
lie is getting twenty-five bushels OF
wheat and fifty IL sixty bushels OF
corn to the acre.
TREMENDOUS BENEFITS
Another instance is the case OF a
farmer in New York state who lived
in region where potato growing had
been the source of farm revenue for
two or three generations Poor meth
DDS had been used and the soil had
run down until the yields were not over
forty bushels Of potatoes TO the acre
and these of a poor quality. A repre-
sentative Of the office Of farm manage
laent induced this farmer to get good
seed potatoes. enough to plant four
acres and then showed him how TO
Till them. The four acres produced 25O
bushels per acre of good potatoes
We make a special point Of hunting
up farmers who have already applied
scientific methods to their farming. ana
then telling others about their methods
because in doing this we know that our
recommendations are entirely practical