The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17
Will the United States AL ways Be Self Sup
 porting?
FARMING MUST BE
 MADE SCIENTIFIC
Population Steadily Increasing, Ru- ral School Systems Improving and Farmers Will Soon
 Have All Comforts


 throng in the auditorium here tonight Before reaching here he had spent nine hours in Syracuse. N. Y. where he made three speeches.
 The President today did not plunge directly into defense of his administra- tion. as some of his hearers had expected One of the most significant things he said was at luncheon with the New York state fair commissioners at Syracuse, when he explained why he had not dis cussed reciprocity in his outdoor address to several thousands of city folk and farmers.
 q am not going to speak about reel prooity,p he said, until after the matter is settled in Canada. We have done our part and we are waiting, and it is just as well for us to keep quiet.'
 MT. Taft also explained in Syracuse why he happened to decide upon this 1s.ooo mile journey to the Pacific ocean and through the "enemy's' country of in- surgency.
 This trip war like 'Topsy.' it just growed," he said, two years ago prom ised Governor Hughes to visit your state fair Then I made an appointment with Congressman Madison of Kansas to visit Hutchinson on the semi-centennial of the state. These two engagements were the reason for my downfall. Thereafter an engagement in San Francisco accom- p,ished my complete ruin"
 At Syracuse Mir Taft met crowd or 100000 At the fair grounds the Presi- dent spoke of the science of farming. He said.
 we are spending $15,000,000 a year in the maintenance of a department or agriculture and we might. as well face the truth and realize that this expense instead of decreasing is bound to in- crease. I have given much attention to the matter of economy and el1iciency in government. While do not mean to say that the present department of agriculture, in the work which 1t is doing, might not be made to do the same work for less money by closer knit organization and greater care of its expenditures. I am confident from looking into the future of the depart n1ent to the pressing need for expan- sion of it's work, that an increase In the appropriations each year for that de- partment may be and ought to be ex- pected in the interest of the govern ment.
 .~The amount of information which the farmers have received and acted upon in their farming business from the bureau of plant industry, from the bureau of soils and from the bureau of animal industry In the department of agriculture, can hardly be over Btated and the dependence Of the well fare of the country on this continued spread of information for the improve ment of agriculture ought to be em-. phasized whenever this opportunity hrises.
 we have today In this country, in continental United States, about 1,900,- 100000 acres of land. Of this, 873,000- 900 acres are included in the acreage of farms. In the last 10 years that acreage did not increase more than s5,000, ,000, or a little over 4 per cent. Tn that same time our population in- creased 20 per cent. Of the S7S,000,000 acres, 477,000,000 are improved farm lands The s73,O00,00 includes wood lands and unimproved lands. The im- proved land in farms has increased about" "ss. 100000 in 10 years, or some 15 per cent, but this, 1t will be seen, IS no reason for the increase in popula- tion. s t@a
 Future Population
 Now if our population increases as rapidly as 1t has heretofore we shall in 50 years have upward of 200,000,000 people in this country to support on this 87S000,000 acres, much of which Is probably not capable of producing a great deal. There are some S0,ooO,o00 acres of swamp lands that can be drained and there are 25,oo0.o00 acres q land that can be irrigated; but with Ill these 1t is perfectly palpable that within the life of many who are born now we shall be pressing the limit of our self support from the soil unless some other method than by the mere extension of area be found for the in- creasing of our crop production.
 ''In the next 100 years If this Is to be self sustaining country, we must adopt new methods of farming and pursue them with eagerness and intel ligent enterprise. There has been as we know a movement from the farm to the city. How can the present evils that threaten the progress of our az riculture be remedied? How can the movement from the farm to- the city be stopped?
 How can proper labor be secured upon the farm? Is there no remedy or must we change our nature as people and all become d. manufacturing na- tion and look for our future supplies to some other source in distant coun- tries. which themselves are looking forward to limit upon their products?
 T am an optimist and believe the situations. however threatening or im- mediately discourag ging, have in them selves elements that justify hope of betterment. The increased price of farm products has increased the value of the farms and has made more certain the prOht or farming. That necessarily works upon the cupidity of those m the past who have gone into the city because 1t offers prospect of bet ter income and Il more comfortable liv- ing. Today with improved roads, with suburban railways, with the telephone, with the rural free delivery, and hope soon with the parcels post, the life of the farmer will approximate more near ly that of his city brother than 1t has ever done in the past.
 Rural Education
 ..In addition to all these clements that are working to the restoration to the farms of increased efficiency in their man. arement is the education that Is being given In the country and on ard near the farm In scientific agriculture. In the states we have long had agricultural col leges Now these are being supplemented by agricultural high schools. all of which have the effect to create much more than heretofore a closer farfper community and to give growing youth )know'edge Of the best methods of agri9ultur and a prospect in the high prices Pf Ia m prod ucts of an adequate reture for modern 11~, v e-