The Lamar register., 1912-10-02

Between forty and fifty billion
dollars year is what the American
farmer should be getting out of his
acres instead of the present sum OF
eight billion. according to the state
ment of w. X. Winterhalter of
San francisco. a crop expert, who
has adopted the unique profession
of consulting agriculturist." 'By
the exact study of the soil and
crop possibilities and the applica-
tion of correct methods of farm
management he declares. "the
yield of American farm lands can
be multiplied fivefold."
Mr.. Winterhalter believes that
Americans will be compelled to
make both a science and BUSINESS
of farming In view of the fact that
consumption is increasing SO much
more rapidly than production SO far
as foodstuffs are concerned. He In
sists that the day will come when
each farming district will have its
expert agricultural adviser. man
with the entire chemistry of farm
ing at his fingers end. and under
such conditions the present farm
acreage Will yield several times
the present production.
Mr.. qWinterhalter's profession is
undoubtedly the rarest In the
United States. but he expects 1t to
grow rapidly. He asserts that the
consulting agricultural bears the
same relation to the prospective
farm purchaser as the mining en-
gineer bears to the prospective mine
owner or as the bond expert bears
to the prospective investor.
1--WE are pioneers" explained Mr..
winterhalter. ''but the time is
soon coming when a man would
no sooner think of purchasing a
large tract of land without getting
a professional opinion than Ire
would think OF going through an
attack OF typhoid fever wwithout a
doctor. Competition has forced on
the farmer the realizationn that he
can no longer buy piece OF land
at haphazard. scratch 1t and secure
a decent living. To be sure OF
his crops he must have expert all
vice on the quality OF the soil
and the climate and the nature or
the agricultural products he may
properly produce.
millions of dollars are lost an
nualiy through capitalists and the
farmers ignorantly yielding to the
seductions of the land boomers.
Sometimes there is an abundance
of water. but this merely brings
out the alkali. which renders the
land useless. Again. the land is
SO clayey that the farmers dis
cover 1t can produce nothing but
bricks-not even good bricks. 1t
Ia the province of the consulting ag-
riculturist to enable the farmer to
avoid such hopeless and unproduc-
tive lands and to teach them how
to rotate his crops and get the best
results from his particular tract OF
soil"
Mr.. Winterhalter. who has been
an agricultural expert for twenty
two years, has been instrumental in
spreading the culture of the sugar
beet through the west. not only for
its own agricultural value. but be-
cause OF its great usefulness as
conserver of the soil.
"The sugar beet" he said els
the basis OF scientific farming and
the most profitable crop rotation.
Its culture raises the standard of
intelligence in a farm community
1t opens new avenues for labor.
1t necessitates the use of the most
modern farm machinery. Moreover.
a great advantage of the sugar beet
to the farmer Is that 1t makes him
Independent of the speculator. He
knows the price he will get before
he plants. And the beet crop Is