The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-07
BIG REDUCTION N
SOILS FERTILITY
Says Henry Wallace, Regard
ed as Greatest Authority
on Agriculture.
National News Association1

KANSAS CITY. Mo-. Sept. Dur
ing the 40 years from 1860 to 1900 the
United States lost more fertility on its
old acreage than it gained by the adj
dition of virgin acres, America has
been mining its soil. rather than farm
ing it,
These statements seem rather eX-
travagant, but they are made on the
of Henry Wallace, of Iowa
whose word about agriculture and as
ricultural conditions is accepted gen
orally without question. 1t is MIR. Wal
lace who characterized the American
agriculturist of the last century as
soil pirates rather than soil farmers.
Mr.. Wallace has been a farmer him.
self for the last so years and at the
same time careful student of farm
ing. He is the president of the Nation
al Conservation congress which is to
meet in Kansas City Sept. 1927. and it
is largely through his motion that the
congress is to deal almost exclusively
with soil conservation.
President Taft will speak at the OPP
ening session of the congress Sept. %,
and Conservation will be his sub
ject.
The two previous congresses hardly
touched the matter of the farmer and
the farm. In Seattle two years ago for
ests were almost the sole topic: in st.
Paul last year public lands were dis
cussed mainly. Mr.. Wallace believes
that soil conservation is of at least as
much importance to America today as
the conservation of the forests and
protection of public lands.
Soil fertility is a problem quite as
important to the man who consumes
farm products as to the man who pro-
duces Them" sad Mr. Wallace at the
conservation headquarters here today.
Neither the farmer nor the consum-
er realize the extent to which our I'M
rivaled soil fertility has been wasted.
although untold millions or virgin
acres needing neither AK nor thing
spade have been added to our cultivat-
ed area year by year for so years. it
is only in the last few years that the
average yield per acre has shown a
tendency to increase; and that small
increase has been due to awakened
agricultural departments in state and
nation, the real study of agriculture
in our colleges and experimental sta
lions.
Behind Europe in Productivity.
For more than 40 years previous to
the last decade we lost more fertility
on the old acreage than we gained by
the addition of the virgin acres. We
have, speaking generally. been mining,
not farming our soil fertility and send
cost of mining.
ION some of the best soils natural
ly in the world we produce less wheat
per acre than any nation in the old
world save Russia and India. where
the soil has been farmed for thous-
ands of years. Enough has been done
to show that we can farm as well as
mine fertility, create as well as waste.
"The conservation of this soil fer
tility, the greatest asset remaining to
the American people, will be the main
burden of the discussion of the third
National Conservation congress. It
will meet in Kansas City in the very
heart of the country that must feed
and clothe the hungry nations. The cit
les are beginning to realize that they
must have bread-and-butter founda-
ton under them and are interested in
farm problems as never before.
Interest in Farmers life.
"The farmers life is quite as i'm
portant as his work. In order to make
life satisfying to the boys and girls
who are growing upon these prairies,
effort will be made at this congress to
develop the socia! side as we'll the in
dustrial side; to interest the farmers
wife and daughters as well as the far
mer and his sons.
"The educational and religious side
of the farm will be considered as well
as its material side, and by those best
qualified to speak on the important
phase of farm life. The best methods
of cooperation will have a place on
the program. In short, nothing
which vitality concerns the farmer and
his family will be out of place on the
program at Kansas City.
/ earnestly ask the cooperation OF
every farmer and every farm organi
cation, and every man who is interest
ed in the development of character on
the farm or in the town. We can add
in the next five years rs per cent to
the yield of the crops grown on the
farms of the United States, and thus
put the means of cheaper living with
in the means of our constantly grow
ing city population, while at the same
time bring about a period of better
living on the farms"
| Making Il Clear.
/ Parsons daughter: Good morning