Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1912-06-29
CROP IMPROVEMENT.
"A Problem in Increasing Our
National Efficiency.

one OF her principal assets.
| We are all of US convinced that il
is Immediately necessary to add TO
our national wealth by getting more
out of the soil, says writer in the
Scientific American. Farming is
everybody's business, and woe to the
man who says that he is not con-
cerned in the business of farming
We have been carrying no grain
surplus, and a one crop failure would
put us on almost famine basis.
The United States, from year to year,
is becoming less considered in the
feeding of other nations, and we are
rapidly drifting to the point where
the balanceo of trade will be perma-
nently against us.
In spite of the excellent and ener-
Retic work of the United States and
State Departments of Agriculture,
the agricultural colleges and extern
sion departments, farmers Institutes,
and thousand other things which
are being preached by the agricul.
tural press, the unpleasant fact still
remains that twenty years ago the
United States raised more than six
hundred million bushels of wheat,
which is about the same amount
raised in 1911, while our population
has increased nearly thirty million
| souls.
The average yield of corn per
acre is now about thirty-four bushels,
while prize corn growers have dem
onstrated that it is possible to grow
225 bushels to the acre--an astonish-
ing contrast to the average crop and
beyond the powers of the ordinary
grower, but it shows what can be
done for the enrichment of the state
and nation with proper cultural
| methods.
An eminent authority says that
the science of agriculture is almost
unknown to the farmer; sand un-
known not only to the farmers and
land owners, but also unknown to
the statesmen, unknown to the local
public officials, unknown TO the
teachers of the common schools, and
unknown to the preachers, to the
merchants, to the grain dealers and
to the bankers"
So it is evident that preaching and
the printing OF bulletins are not al
together satisfactory.
True cooperation means the great
est good to the greatest number, and
upon this basis Bert Ball, secretary
Of the Crop Improvement Committee
of the Council of Grain Exchanges
of America, is making an effort to
unity and harmonize all of the in
terests, including the manufacturers
of agricultural implements, ferti-
lizers, grain and elevator companies,
cereal manufacturers, railroads,
bankers, and all other business in
terests in National crop improve
ment plan to cooperate with the
U. S. Department of Agriculture and
the various branches of the extern
sion department Of the State agri-
cultural colleges. Individual effort
at cross purposes will not accomplish
satisfactory results. The plan covers
the development of each county
through an amalgamation of COM
mercial, educational, transportation
and agricultural interests. II advo-
Gates the establishment of trained
agriculturists in each OF the counties
of all the agricultural States in con-
nection with the United States
Bureau of Farm Management, State
agricultural colleges. State CONNER
cial associations and local CONNER
cial clubs,
! The National fund for this pur-
pose is now being raised in order to
offer $1,000 or more TO each county
in each State, and State commercial
organizations are ready to form State
crop improvement associations to
raise like amount to that offered to
each county from the National or
ganization. This fund has been
started with one million dollars by
Messrs. Sears, Roebuck C Co, of
Chicago, who have set aside the sum
| $1,000, to be given to each Of 1000
counties in every State which, will
raise fund locally, sufficient to
employ permanent county agricul-
turist and farm demonstrator.