Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-09-27
PROBLEMS
Of
Agriculture
and the
Basic Solution

L
depends upon its proper and prompt
solution. There are the social and
moral results to be considered. The
father and mother OF the growing
boys and girls mrst realize that there
is a duty before them in the educa-
ton oil the young folks into 4 new
and higher plane OF life-not away
from, but upon, the farm.
| Unless every acre OF arabic land Is
made to produce the maximum imam
cial return, and that reasonably soon,
The hardships brought upon the bread
winners OF the continent by the rap
| idly increasing cost OF living and con-
sequent social unrest will force a
revolution more serious and lar
reaching than any recorded in the
history of the century.
| The one great trouble with our ag-
ricultural departments, both in Can
ada and the United States, is that they
do not get down TO the heart OF the
problem OF irrigation-the service OF
water-the investigation OF moisture
value. Instead they spend their time
in experimenting with engineering
problems. As Tor the hard-headed
farmer, he should be taught that wat
/ er is water, no matter whether we
|
| God-given showers or find it under
Il dust blanket where we have stored
it by good tillage.
| The best farmer is the business
| farmer-the man who tills his soil and
handles his crop with the same care
| ful attention to details, causes and ef-
tetts that characterizes the successful
rlan at the head of great CONNER
| cigl institution or banking establish
mcnt Farming, in the true. sense is
no longer mere slavery on the farm.
The farm is business institution. and
the profession of farming Is As re
spectacle as any phase of commerce
in fact. upon the farmer depends the
manufacturer. jobber, merchant, ban
ker and broker lie is the source OF
supply. The farmer must, ike the
merchant, study elements of profit
and loss, eliminate causes NJ loss and
increase profitable departments and
crops.
| The study OF dry-farming /. proper
| ly 4 part OF the work of thi, .rrigl-
tinn congress, as, while tue engineer
~. III, blcms which you have been
discussing are important. L mu-h
more important phase - tie subject
is an exact understanding of how to
.ecure the maximum result from the
minimum amount of water. Over IL
-igation is as dangerous as unle, :r
r,' .ati' II: in fact, We consider II more
sc TIE plant can use oTiy Ger
| tam proportion of food N -ullti"u;
=. IL than that becomes .ieirimc1t1l
The lant thrives best when 1t rcceiv
cs :. y the required amour. OF moi
tuIc. Excessive irrigation makes The
ro,t he'd too wet and too roi1 an
rc,arGs plant development.
1ntrc is great tend 'rvy among
| ia. c.Ger type OF irrigation farmer t.
r=r all the water obtainaD'. mcrci!
be:ale he has .. right to =. S''nte
farmers in my lone. state ii I J'".i-
i. am sure. would mal;c good rec
growers.
There are many ways OF robbins
the soil. and washing out the humus
until the land is devoid OF plant food
and has developed either acidity or
alkali, that can be classed as soil
robbery.
Soil can only retain certain per
ccutage of moisture and too much
water will destroy the nitrogen. and
as nitrogen is the plant food element
| that the western soil is most deficient
| in, its loss is serious matter. II
washed below the feeding ground OF
| plAhl iOptS pt - io9is
| Too much water clogs the surface
soil by cementing the small particles
together and thus produces pudding.
which all recognize As very injurious
to soil: it crowds out the air and les
sens the action of bacteria in max
ing plant food: lowers the, temperature
uf the soil and often seeps out on the
land lower down and injuries or even
destroys it for agricultural purposes.
In the irrigation districts, especial
Iy in the north. the retardirg OF plant
growth is costly. Instead. growth
should be fostered. Water is proper
ty-a public commodity. a public ne
ccseity. and no matter how much OF
it Il man may own, il he takes more
than he has need for. he is taking that
which belongs to others. Why put
more water in the soil than can be
used by the crop?
| predict that before many years
you will have combined dry-farming
wit:l irrigation methods. and instead
of considering irrigation as OF first
v;:lae, you will use it as an auxiliary
TO the natural precipitation conserved
in the soil
Re, olutionary as this may seem.
and although may stand alone at
this time in this altitude. you will.
am sure. within FIVE. years, agree that
have given you the basis of more
profitable system OF agricultural de,
velopment in your irrigation districts
One fact that will stand out prom
iuently in the new science OF irriga-
ton is that the efficiency OF water in
the production of crops decreases af-
tier the first applic ations and becomes