Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-08-07

National Movement to Aid in In
creasing PrOductiveness of Land,
Thus Reducing Cost of Living.

As.s~S AsS~s ms OOSO Va In xm8s
Mr.. E. J. Curtin went to st. Paul
yesterday, where is representing the
American Bankers Association In q
joint meeting of the national COM
mittee with committee of five from
the state bankers associations OF
twenty agricultural states of the un-
ion. The business Of the meeting
will be to consider what should be
done by the federal government and
bankers OF the. country to advance
agricultural conditions and more
particularly to determine what posi-
ton the American Bankers Associa-
ton and the various state associa-
tions should take with reference to
the movement toward national aid
to farmers for more intense and di-
versified development of the soil. 1t
is great subject, national in char
acter, and the action taken at St.
Paul this week will have much to do
with future agricultural conditions
throughout the country.
The extent to which banking and
other business interests, including
railroads., chambers of commerce and
other commercial activities, are talk
ing hold of the problem of better
cultivation of the soil and more in
telligent agriculture is shown in an
article on the subject which has been
sent out recently from the National
City bank of New York.
That one of the greatest banks of
the country, in a city whose affairs
might be supposed to have little to do
with agriculture, should be awakened
to the Importance of better farming
and greater production of crops,
might at first blush seem remarkable.
However, as the officials of the de-
partment of agriculture say. the busi-
ness world generally is beginning to
see that on the success of agriculture
depends the continuance of the pros
perity of the country and more at
tention must be given the farms.
AS the National City Bank puts it,
there is only one possible source Of
relief from the threatening situation
caused by the relatively diminishing
supplies of food products brought
about by the increased percentage of
urban population. This arelief is
by raising the productiveness OF the
lands of the United States through
more intelligent and scientific agri-
culture. While there Is no known
limit to the possibilities of nature,
the average production in this .coun-
try is far below the results Of the
best practice. The average yield of
corn in this country has never reach
ed 80 bushels but once and that was
in 1872. For forty years it would
appear. there has been no gain in
the cultivation of corn and this leads
to the question how fast it will be
possible to revolutiolize farming
methods in the future.
That the bankers in numerous
states have taken up through their
state associations the question of how
to increase the productivity of the
farms is stated. They have organized
for campaigns Of education, making
this the chief work of the associa-
tions. The Illinois association has
enlisted the cooperation of the agrt-
cultural department of the state uni
versity. The Minnesota and Iowa
associations have entered on SIM
liar campaign. The Kentucky bank
ers have recently become stirred up
over the matter and are becoming
active. The National City bank says
the bankers of all the states may well
follow their example for the promo
ton of an object so worthy.
1t is pointed out in the same cir
cular that it Is difficult to see why
any mystery should be made of the
reasons for the rising cost of living
in view Of the revelations of the last
census. Back in 1880 the United
States was an essentially rural peo-
pie. The census then showed that
29.5 per cent Of the population was
urban and 7O.5 per cent rural. In
other words. at that time. nearly
of the population lived
In the country. But the 1910 CEN
sus shows that 46.3 per cent OF the
population Is urban and 5S.7 per
cent rural. In other words nearly
half the population now lives In the
towns and cities.
The result is just what might be
expected. Land values have gone
UP, the demands on the food supply
have proportionately greatly increas-
ed and there has been rise In FOOD
prices. The relatively diminishing
amount of supplies is cause for ap-
prehension. The census shows that
in the decade between 1900 and 1910
the average value per acre OF all the
farms In the United States exclusive
OF buildings. increased 1O8 per cent