The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-10-16
SH0RT-SIGHTED FARMING
CARRIED ON IN VERMONT
Suggestions Made by E. S. Brigham to
Remedy Certain Faults Of Farm
ing-IIis Article Here
Published.


mission on the conservation of natura
resources. Mr.. Brigham says:
"Since animal life can be sustained di
rectly or indirectly only by food produce,
from the soil, it is fortunate for the wei
fare of the race that agriculture differ
from the other so-called eXtractive in
dustries in that by proper methods o
fertilization and rotation of crops til,
fertility and, therefore, the crop-produc
ing power OF the soil may not only b.
maintained hut may be increased, where
as the mine ca come to but one ulti-
mate end namely, exhaustion.
'As evidence Of this permanency OF
the soil we may instance the example
OF China and Japan, which are to-day
producing large crops on land that has
thousand years. We may say. then, that
from the standpoint of the general well
fare any .ystem Of farming which does
not at least maintain the food producing
power of the soil is short sighted farm.
| ing.
1T is no cXaggeration TO say that the
greater part of the farming in this coun-
| try has been short sighted farming. The
natural fertility OF our soil, the inn
mense acreage of which we We're pos
sessed, and the policy Of the federal gov
eminent of parcelng out the public do
main to settlers who would live upon it
have tended to make MS careless of soil
fertility. 1t mattered little 10 the farm
| CT that he exhausted his soil, if his son
could go West and get free OF charge
100 acres Of virgin soil; and it mattered
little to the town that the soil of its
countryside declined, so long as its food
could be transported from a distance
cheaper than 1t could be produced at
home. The result OF this policy has been
that our people have lived lavishly upon
the bounty of a new land, taking no
thought Of the morrow, until now the
price Of food has increased to such an ex-
tent that the high American standard of
living is threatened and far-seeng public
men point out the danger of a food
shortage if our population keeps increas
ing at the present rate.
"The question now is, What are WEI
going to 10 about it? The answer usu
ally given Is, More education for the
farmer. which is good so far as it goes
Good farming practice is based upon GER
tain laws of nature, with which man
must cooperate. since he cannot change
them. Iugglery brings no reward in
dealing with Dame Nature As Prof, |
Carver aptlv expresses it, Neither i'm (
pndence, nor a smooth tongue not dis
4 2 Ftr.4 n.-f.s
ever vet made an acre OF land Weld a
larger crop of grain; but they have fire.
quentlv made an office. a sanctum, II
platform and even q pulpit, yield a larg-
or crop Of dollars Since success in
farming depends upon an understanding
Of these laws. it is good policy for the
state to make it easy for those who 50
desire to gain access to this knowl-
edge.
1.-THE causes of soil exhaustion. the
elements of plant food which are likely
to become deficient in the soil, the means
Of maintaining proper physical condi-
ton of the soil so that its texture and
its water holding capacity may be pre-
served. should not only be taught in our
schools. but should be made accessible
to those too old to 60 TO school by means
II college extension courses. With bet
ter education. we might rea pnably ex-
rect to see better organization of the
business OF farming, more careful saving
If all manurnl wastes OF the farm more
intelligent purchase of fertilizing mate
-ials. and 4 counting in the cost of pro-
luetion the cost of putting back in the
;oil the amount of fertility removed by
he crop. without which we cannot hope
0 keep up the producing power OF the
and
Farmer Needs Cooperation.
But the problem Of short sighted
arming cannot ne solved by farmers
lone. There are certain phases of this
question which should be considered by
III thoughtful people, Conservation sim
,lv means SAVING the denial of some Of
he wants of to-day that the needs of the
uture NAV be supplied During the last
bird OF the past century. farm prod
cts often sold for barely enough to pay
or the labor of producing them. In that
ime of great plenty, system OF dis
ributing farm products was built up
.hich has nowhere been equalled for
1t is estimated that the
irmer receives only about one-third of
ne money paid by the consumer Tor ms
roduct
''Now that land is becoming more
,arce and more capital must be used in
ne bushes of farming, if the cost OF
pepng good the fertility of the soil il
lded to the cost Of production, and if
lc farmer receives the profit to which
, Is entitled. we cannot expect to retain =
IT present expensive method of getting O.
rm products from producer to consumer I
ithout having the cost of living bur
.nsome to the people. European coun-
les have found relief in parcels post
ID in cooperative societies and among
iyers. Why not we?
"Our aim should be neither high prices
II low prices regardless of future con-
quences, but rather to secure an album
nee and permanent supply of food for /
g people at a fair price to them and
the same time at fair price to the
oduccrs. for in this way alone can the
IN be kept on the land who will do
,ay with the short-sighted farming"