The Raymer enterprise., 1911-08-03
ExALL ON BETTER FARMING
People Must be Taught Absolute
Necessity Of Returning All
Fertilizers to Soil.

Necessity Of Returning All
Fertilizers to Soil.
In the address Of the president Of
the Texas Industrial Congress at itf
late meeting. Col. Henry Exall spoke.
in part, as follows:
"The population Of Europe and
America at the beginning of the nine
teenth century was about $50 million;
It is now over $50 million. The pop
ulation Of the United States in 1900
was seven million; 1t is now almost
100 million. The opening up Of this
new country, with its rich soil, sc
cheapened food production that the
population increased by leaps and
bounds. and despite the Civil war.
with Its incalculable destruction Of
life and property. and its paralyzing
effect upon progress. our population
has grown from thirty million In 1860
to ninety-two million in 1910-300 per
cent in fifty years. At the same rate
of increase We will have 2s6 million
people to feed in 1860. In this con.
nection It is well to remember that
despite the fact that within the past
forty years we have put into cultiva.
tion the major part Of the great
prairie plains. the richest body Of
land Of like fertility on the face Of
the earth, comprising what is known
as the mississippi valley. and includ.
ing the black belt in Illinois, and
west through Iowa and the Dakotas,
and southwest through Kansas, Ne
braska. Oklahoma, and Texas, and
Notwithstanding the fact that great
improvements have been made for cul.
tivating and harvesting crops. and
great advance has been made In seed
selection, and some improvement in
cultural methods. so little has been
done to conserve the fertility Of the
earth; SO constantly have we mined
rather than farmed it; subtracting
fiom 1t without adding to 1t, that the
average crop Of corn and wheat com.
bined per acre In the United States
is less than Il was forty years ago.
The population is increasing at a
terrible rate, and production Is con.
stantly decreasing. The grain acreage
Increase for the past ten years has
been about twenty-three per cent;
the production has increased about
thirty-five per cent, but the consump.
tion has increased sixty per cent.
Ten years ago we produced about
500 million bushels Of wheat and ex.
ported thirty.seven and half per cent
of 1t; now we produce 700 million
bushels Of wheat and export seventeen
per cent. In the same time our corn
crop has grown from two and {. halt
billion bushels to two and three-quar
ter billion bushels, but the home de-
mand has so increased that our ex'
ports have fallen from nine to three
per cent. For all these years We have
been in the proud position Of having
corn and wheat for sale, and cheap
food for all our people, but unless we
Immediately and radically change our
agricultural methods we will, within
the next few years, be buyers of food
The pertinent question is: Who will
have 1t for sale at anything like rea
sonable prices?
1T behooves us, therefore, to save
and to use every particle Of fertiliz'
ing matter that is within our reach
The nitrogen, phosphorus and potash
In the stalks from 100 bushels Of corn
are worth, in carload lots .oday. II
we had to buy 1t, $1O.55. The same
mineral elements in the stalks from
4 bale Of cotton are worth $3.50. AS
a rui we burn both. and temporarily
destroy the usefulness of the land
uron which the fires are lighted. We
are not only clipping the coupons, but
We are cutting into the body of the
bonds.
"The people must be taught the alb
soiute necessity of returning every
thing possible In the line of fertilizers
to the soil; protecting 1t from wash
ing by terracing. and plowing around
instead of up and down the slopes
They must be taught to thoroughly
prepare the lands before planting the
carefully selected SEED, and by con.
slant shallow mulch cultivation to keep
down the weeds. They must not lay
by and leave their crops. but must be
taught to know that as the stalk
grows larger II has more live weight
to sustain. and It needs more nourish.
ment. Cultivation should continue un.
til the crop is positively made. The
rule has been to lay by the crop and
leave 1t to fight the suckers, weeds,
dry, parched earth and hot winds
alone, when Its life work is yet to be
accomplished.
III this one last item mentioned.
namely. not to lay by and leave the
crop, but to keep a soft mulch on top