The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-29

some phase OF agriculture or to the
country life movement. The keynote
OF the gathering is conservation OF the
coil A statement by Clifford Pinchot
made two years ago shows that In
America the average wheat yield Is
less than fourteen bushels per acre,
while In Germany 1t is twenty-eight
md In England thirty-two bushels per
acre. The contrast Is made all the
more glaring by the fact that most OF
our soil has been in use less than
hundred years, while that OF Germany
and England has been farmed a thou
sand years or more. Yet naturally
there is no richer soil on earth than
that Of the Mississippi valley and OF
other portions of the United States.
Why, then, is the yield of this fertile
and virgin soil less Than one-half that
of the two older nations2 Obviously
because we have not resorted to In
tensive and scientific farming to the
same extent as Europe. The small
amount Of land available and the ne
cessity Of forcing this land to produce
70 its full capacity have compelled the
European farmers to get out Of every
acre Its greatest possible yield. Here,
where we have had millions of acres
unused, we have squandered our re-
sources and neglected our opportuni-
ties. Now that our country Is more
thickly settled we are beginning to
face similar conditions to those Of Flu
rope. We must learn the same lesson
that the older nations learned long
ago. Hence we have the conservation
movement - conservation OF forests,
conservation Of natural resources, In
GLIDING water power and minerals, and
conservation Of soil.
What Farmers Must Study.
Rotation Of crops, fertilizing, more
careful and intelligent methods, closer
economy, cooperation In buying and
selling, are among the things that
American farmers must study. All OF
these subjects are treated In the con-
servation congress. One entire SEES
sion is devoted to soil conservation.
It will be presided over by II. d. Co
burn, secretary Of the Kansas state
board of agriculture, and among the
speakers will be Ex-Governor w. D.
Hoard of Wisconsin, editor of Hoard's
Dalryman; DR. II. d. Mumford, dean
OF the school of agriculture, Univer-
sity of Missouri; Professor e. NJ. Ten
Eyck of Kansas and Professor Cyril
G.. Hopkins of the University Of I'LL
nols.
Among other subjects that should
interest farmers are THE Trend of the
Conservation Movement" by DR.. w.
J. MCGEE Of the bureau Of soils;
Washington: 1.-THE Social Life on the
Farm" by Professor 7. G. Atkinson
of West Virginia, overseer Of the ma
tional grange; The Country Church."
by DR. Warren II. Wilson, superin-
tendent of the board of home mis-
sions of the Presbyterian church; 'The
Country Life Movement" by Walter
H. Page, editor of the Worlds Work
and member of President Roosevelt's
country life commission; Cooperation
Among Farmers" by w. A. Beard OF
the same commission and Cutting Out
the Middleman," by Charles s, Barrett,
president Of the Farmers Educational
and Cooperative Union of America.
Mr.. Barrett's Address.
The title of Mr.. Barrett's address Is
especially significant in view of the
fact that the state oranges Of New
York and Pennsylvania have already
started movement in New York city
to eliminate the middleman by bring
ing the farmer and retailer together,
hoping thus to increase prices to the
farmer and reduce those to the con-
sumer. If this movement succeeds in
New York II Is the design Of the
grange to extend It to every city Of
the country. If the Farmers union
also takes up similar work IL will
enlist most OF the organized farmers
of the land, for 1t is altogether the
largest association Of its kind in
America, containing millions OF mem
bers, mostly in the south, while the
grange is strong in the north. Secre-
tary Of Agriculture Wilson has also
been talking along this line, advocat-
ing that the consumers organize in the
same way that the farmers are or.
ganized.
The address of Mr.. Beard on GO
operation Among Farmers" follows
the same general direction. This be-
gins TO look like business. II the
American people learn to cooperate
on the Rochdale plan or on any other
honest, sensible plan the high prices
question will be In the way Of solu-
ton. This Is great country, they
tell us the greatest in the world, with
the best government Granted. Yet
no country was ever so great that II
could not learn. Now and then the
best OF nations reach the point where
they simply have to readjust them
selves TO new conditions. Have we
not reached that point nowi With
the constant boosting of prices to con-
sumers without any corresponding in
crease In the prices paid to farmers
are we not compelled In the very ma
ture OF things to protect ourselves
The producers and consumers consti.
tute the vast brlk OF the people. Yet
between these two the predatory In
lerests place themselves and grab the
lions share of profits. They force
down the amount paid the producer
and raise that charged the consumer,
thus enriching themselves at the eX-
DENSE OF both In the old days tie