The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-07-30
FIetcher's Concrete Policies Look To
Material Progress.

Fletcher's Concrete Policies Look To
Material Progress.
The policies which Hon. Allen NJ.
Fletcher proposes to carry out, when
he is elected governor of Vermont,
are not glittering generalities, nor
yet are they theories of an imprac-
ticable nature that merely look good
on paper.
The list includes such practical
and desirable propositions as the
scientific and methodical develop
ment of water power in different sec
/ lions of Vermont, not for the profit
oil outsiders, but for the benefit OF
our own people; the development OF
our forestry interests whereby our
hills that have become barren may
be made to again become a source OF
revenue as well as a storehouse OF
moisture for the feeding OF our
streams: the promotion of our Green
! Mountain regions attractions for per-
manent residents as well as tourists
and for outside capital; the adoption
of a system of taxation that shall
encourage the development OF Yer
mont's natural resources, particularly
our soil, and thus encourage the sons
and daughters of our farmers TO stay
in the old state; cooperation De-
tween the states agricultural depart
ment and the State Universitys Ag-
ricultura College so that we may
have greater revenue from our farms.
We desire this morning to speak in
particular of the possibilities wrapped
up in this single proposition to pro
mote the productiveness OF Vermont
soil. and to emphasize the desirable
ity of thorough cooperation Tor the
purpose of bringing about this very
important consummaton.
Secretary Wilson of the national
department of agriculture has Just
sent a valuable and interesting letter
TO CONGRESSMAN Hill of Connecticut,
who has been heard at Republican
conventions in Burlington to good ad-
vantage, emphasizing the fact that
! through a process of education, the
people of the state may rapidly in
crease the percentage of the produc-
ton of food they consume and even
tually produce nearly all of it.
This does not mean that we must
establish primary agricultural schools
and wait for the children educated in
| these and our agricultural high
schools and colleges to grow up, but
that we may show our farmers OF the
present generation how TO largely in
crease the productiveness of their
soil and thus enable them to greatly
increase their income from their
farms.
This was one Of the propositions
made by Mr.. Fletcher in his platform
last November, and it is the practi-
cal project which is certain to be
carried out through the cooperation
of our state and federal authorities
working through out agricultural de
partment, our experiment station and
our State College of Agriculture.
Everybody will admit that this con
summation is greatly to be desired
The practical question to be answered
Is. is il possible? Secretary Wilson
shows that the soil of Vermont and
other New England states does not
now yield nearly the amount of food
and forage that it is capable of pro
ducing under proper cultivation. In
other words. he demonstrates that
this increased productivity is posi-
Bile. and he also goes further and
proves that owing to the increased
cost of living. the exhaustion of our
tilage area and the multiplication OF
people il will soon become nm econ
omic necessity for the farmers OF this
and other regions to augment the
productivity of the soil.
II appears that wher as the popu-
lation of the United States Increased
during the last decade p per cent
the total area devoted to agriculture
increased only 4.2 per cent. Figures
are not necessary. however, TO dem
onstrate the absolute necessity of in
creased productivity. to say nothing
of the profitable nature of the propo'
sition.
That is it possible to accomplish
this is shown by Secretary Wilson $
letter dealing with what has been
done i'm the South by the department
of agriculture. The department call
ed upon the best practical farmers in
that region to cooperate with IL in
ushering in a new agriculture for the
South. About 500 such agents were
engaged to aid in fnstrucung the
/ less thrifty and intelligent. and the
bows were enlisted I'm the new agri-
cultural movement.
Prizes for the best yield OF different
crops we're offered and the country
/ has been astonished at the result.
i The South raised more cotton and
more corn last year than in any pre-
{ vious year in its history. and over
200 bushels Of corn to the acre has
been produced as a result Of this edu-
cational movement
II is an old saying that What
man has done man can do. what
has been accomplished in the South
can be accomplished in Vermont in
various directions. What We need
is a man at the head Of our state gov
eminent who will lead OF in this
movement and set in motion the ma
chinerv. the brains and the energy
necessary 10 secure the cooperation
Of the essential forces TO assure ac-
tion and success.
Secretary Wilson shows by his let
ter that he appreciates the fact that
New England needs help along these
lines. lie emphasized a need that
We have frequently enforced aud that
. M