Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1912-07-19
SOIL AssAss1Ns.

This fall.-Fargo Forum.
-Oo-
SOIL AssAss1Ns.
Nothing is now claiming so much
earnest attention from conservationists
along agricultural lines as the venality
with which the American farmer abus-
ed the soil from which he derived his
sustenance and his wealth. Nowadays
it is looked upon as immoral for the
farmer to get all he can out of the soil
without exercising an earnest endeav.
or to put. back into it as nearly as pos.
sible as much vitality as he had rob-
bed it Of A writer in Farm and Fire
side says the farmers Of Europe do not
talk about WORKOUT farm lands as do
tie. farmers Of America. They give
more careful atteBton to the soil and
get SIN !! Eefufm obetter results. Along
That T1ihe the wiite' says:
The American farmer has swept
across the continent, leaving abandon.
ed farms end worn out fields in his
wake, until low We lave come to the
point where all our arable Land has
been occupied, and we can no longer
wear it out and abandon it. We must
not only maintain ourselves. on the
land We have, We must maintain pop
ulati; that win soon be doubled and
treble what it now is. "
Where should we look for informs:
tion If not to- the countries Of an esu.
al degree of civilization that are much
older than our own and have a much
greater population in proportion to
their areaf In Europe are farm lands
that have been in cultivation for a
thousand years and are producing lar.
ger crops than our fertile virgin soils,
and 70 one ever thinks of these farms
wearing, ont. On the other hand, they
become more valuable. and; more pro
iductive year BY year. tits a notable
fact that has been repeated over and
Iover to the American farmer, that the
average production pei. acre, Of the Eu.
repean' countries, particularly England,
France and Gemany, is OYER twice. the
average production, ef the same. crops
in%the United, States. Wherein lies the
difference1 Fl is not because Euro.
pean. lands are naturally more fertile
~.
than, American, but because hey are
farmed more intensively. The land i.
better prepared for the seed, plowed
deeper, worked more before seeding
and as far as possible the lands that
are to be planted in the spring are
plowed in the fall: and allowed to
weather during the winter, a system
that deserves to be greatly extended
on American FARMS. especially in on,
corn lands. 81
| Every day the. necessity becomes
greater for the American farmer to
pay some attention to the preservation
and regeneration Of the soil. The time
must come when the farmer who neg
lects methods toward that end will be
outlawed, for it is hardly today less
than crime against his kind. When
the population was small in this conn
try and there was IN abundance Of
good land to be had for the Occupancy
Of it, few I'll ught of it. But now the
land is practically all taken up, and
the day seems to be in sight when the
growth Of population will enlarge to
its full capacity or more the demand.
upon the land, it is not wonderful that
those who take intelligently into &C.
count the welfare Of the country and
its people are disposed to look upon
robbery of the soil as SO wrongful as
to be almost criminal.
The time must come when society
will take into account the obligation
Of the man who takes out of the soil
all he can make it produce and he will
be required to put some vitality back
into it, and when he who neglects or
refuses to do SO will be called to &C.
count to society for his failure.