The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-08-12
HILL DISCUSSES
SOIL ABUSE
MAGNATE HAS MADE A
STUDY OF SOIL DETERioRA-
TON FROM A DOLLARS AND
CENTS sTANDPoINT--WILL BE
TOPIC AT CONSERVATION MEET

when the most fertile land in the
world produces so much less than that
OF poorer quality elsewhere, and this
low yield shows tendency toward
steady decline, the situation becomes
clear. We are robbing the soil" That
statement made by Pres. James J. Hill
OF the Great Northern railway, tells
briefly what the principal subject of
discussion will be at the national con-
servation congress to be held In KAN
sas City Sept. 25 to 2s. Conservation
of the soil will be the main purpose of
the meeting; in st. Paul last year the
main subject was Public Lands. the
year previous it was Soil Conservation.
This time the meeting is being held in
the heart Of the agricultural country
and Saving the Soil lis to be the one
important topic.
Mr.. Hill, who certainly is studying
agriculture from the dollars and cents
viewpoint as president Of the great
railway system, has made a study OF
what he calls Soil Abuse. Some OF the
results of Investigations that he has
been responsible for In this line are
best given In his own words. He says:
Take the case OF wheat, the main
stay of single-crop abuse Many OF us
can remember when New York was the
great wheat producing state of the un-
ion. The average yield OF wheat per
acre for the last ten years was about
is bushels. For the first 1--WE years of
that ten-year period ii was 1874 bush
els, and for the last five years, l7.4
bushels. Farther west. Kansas takes
high rank as wheat producer. It's
average yield per acre for the last ten
years was 14.16 bushels. For the first
five OF those years ii was 1914 and
for the last five years 1918. Up In the
northwest. Minnesota wheat has made
name all over the world. Her aver
age yield per acre for the same ten
years was 1896 bushels. For the first
Ave years 1t was 1912, and for the last
Ave 1878. We perceive here the work.
ing Of a uniform law independent ot
location, of soil, or Of climate. 1t il
the law Of diminishing return due
to soil destruction. Apply this to the
country at large and it reduces agri-
culture to the condition OF q bank
whose depositors are steadily drawing
out more money than they put in.
According to the last census the
average annual product per acre oil
the farms of the whole United States
was worth S11.3S. 1t is little more than
respectable rental in communities
where the soil is properly cared for
and made to give a reasonable return
for cultivation. There are but two
states in the union whose total value
of farm products was over $50 per acre
of improved land. The great state oil
Illinois gave but $1248 and Minnesota
showed only 1914. No discrimination
attaches to these figures. where all arc
so much at fault Nature has never
been duplicated, because there is none
like it upon the face Of the earth. And
we are racking and impoverishing Il
exactly as we are telling the forests
and rifiing the mines. Our soil, once
the envy OF every other country, tbs
attraction which draws millions OF i'm
migrants across the seas, gave an av-
erage yield for the whole United
states during the ten years beginning
with 1895 Of 1876 bushels OF wheat pei
acre. Austria and Hungary each pro-
duced over n bushels per acre
France 1913, Germany 27.s and the
United Kingdom 1922 bushels per acre
For the same decade our average yield
OF oats was less than 80 bushels, while
Germany produced 46 and Great Brit.
ain Az. For barley the figures are 81
against 80 and 34.6S for rye 15.A
against "a for Germany and rs for Ire
land. In the United Kingdom, Belgium