Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-09-26
Betterment Of Soil and I'm
provement Of Country
Life Conditions Main
Topic Of Congress.
PRESENT FARMING
METHODS ASSAILED
Speakers Declare Continua-
tion Of Soil Robbing Prac-
tices Will Result Calami-
tously;; Noted Men Speak.

words were used by speakers at the
opening session of the third annual
National Conservation congress here
today in pointing out that the contin-
uation Of present day farming meth
ods will result calamitously for the
country
Not only a change in treatment Of
the soil but of the country people as
we'll, was urged. Only by bettering
social conditions on the farm, 1t was
declared, could the young persons be
kept there. About $500 delegates at
tended the opening session. Gov. Her
bert S. Hadley Of Missouri urged ad-
,vanced agriculture methods. He as
serts that only forty per cent OF the
land in this country Is being farmed,
and that its productive qualities are
decreased.
Henry Wallace of Des Moines, presi-
dent Of the congress, assailed tho
farmers as soil robbers and pleaded
for more scientific farming. He cited
that land In the United States pro.
duced crops but one-half the size OF
those grown on poorer land In Europe.
In his plea for "back to the farm"
movement and q betterment OF social
conditions in the country he said the
city uses up men and families N as It
uses up horses
The solution Of the high cost OF liv-
ing problem lies In better farming
methods, he said. ri
y The congress will be In session
three days. Three sessions will be
held each day.
TAN speaks Tonight. I
President Taft, as guest Of honor,
will deliver an address tonight. 1t has
been freely limited that this speech
probably will be the most important
the president will deliver during his
present tour. This city Is one of the
stor.n centers Of the republican In
surgency, and at no other place Is the
president likely to meet SO large
body of nationally representative men
during his trip.
On Tuesday night DR.. Harvey W..
Wiley, chief of the bureau OF chemis-
try In tie department Of agriculture
will deliver an address on "The Health
Of the People," William J. Bryan will
be the principal speaker at the last
session on Wednesday.
Among other distinguished men
scheduled to take part In the pro-
ceedings are Walter L. Fisher, secre-
tary Of the interior; Henry S. Graves,
United States forester; Walter H..
Page of New York and JUDGE B. B..
Lindsey Of Denver.
Country Life Main Topic.
While the program will embrace
every phase OF the subject OF conser-
walton, officials Of the congress plan
ned to make the two paramount ques-
tions the conservation Of the soil and
the betterment of the condition Of
country life.
In addition there will be discussed
the country schools, country churches,
and every phase Of country life. 1t IS
planned to begin an educational cru
SADIE to make the farm home more at
tractive to the boys and girls so they
will not be tempted by city life.
The program Of the morning session
today was largely routine. Governor
Herbert S. Hadley Of Missouri, deliver
ed an address Of welcome.
The afternoon program included al
address by Judge B. B. Lindsey OF
Denver, whose subject was "The Coun-
try Child VS.. the City Child" A con-
ference of the governors and other
OF the states was also
for the afternoon session.
Wallace Roasts Soil Robbers.
Declaring that many farmers OF the
present day have more faith IN moon
signs than in agricultural colleges and
stations; more faith In or
politicians than In college pro-
fessors and scientists, more faith IN
yellow journals than in the best agri-
tpltural papers, and that the nine
teenth century farmer was no farmer
at all, bur robber of the soil, Henry
Wallace. president Ue the Third Ma
tiona1 Conservation congress, deliver
ed an address before that body today,
strongly urging scientific farming as
the only means by which the cost OF
living can be reduced. In concluding
Mr.. Wallace said:
.'All over the country there is the be-
ginning OF great social and indus
trial awakening. The farmer is begin
ming to magnify his office, to cut loose
from partisan bias. to do his own
and act for himself He is
paying better salaries to his schooi
teachers and insisting that the teacn-
ing have some relation to the life on
the farm. He is buying his own auto
and paying cash for them. He
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