The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-07-18
URGES FARM INSTRUCTION
Lever Delivers Able Address to Chi
cagO Audience-Explafns Fed
eral Plans.

The following from the Chicago In
ter Ocean of Friday, July II, will be
read with interest by the friends Of
Representative Ashury F. Lever,
whose work in behalf of the country's
farming classes is receiving national
recognition:
Congressman A. F. Lever, of South
ICarolina, chairman of the house COM
mittee or agriculture and author Of
the Lever agricultural extension bill,
was the guest of honor at the Union
League club yesterday at a luncheon
of the National Soil Fertility League.
He advocated direct education CT ire
individual farmer with a view to COLI
serving the soil resources Of the Unit
ed States, before large gathering of
financial leaders, economists and agri-
cultural educators.
That the latest Investigations of
government experts show a decrease
in proportion to population in recent
years in the amount of ground devot-
ed to their raising of food products
was disclosed. Statistics were quot
ed to prove that the farm land in
America is producing only one-third
as much per acre as land in Europe
which has produced crops for more
than 1000 years.
South the New Land of Promise
The famous advice of Horace Gree
ley to the young men of America was
reversed by the congressman, who de-
cIared that the land of prosperity for
the youth of this generation is the
awakening South.
During the early history of this
nation there was more or less atten-
ton paid to agriculture by the gov
ernment heads" said Congressman
Lever. Washington Jefferson and
other early presidents endeavored to
stimulate a proper regard in the
minds of the people toward agricul-
tural conservation, but nothing was
done in the way Of federal support of
the agricultural industry of this coun-
try until the passage of the Morrill,
act in 1852, establishing the land
grant for State agricultural colleges.
twenty-five years later came the ex-
pertinent stations. Now we propose
to establish and maintain a public
service of tremendous value to every
interest in the land when we place
skilled farm demonstration in every
agricultural county.
''The Lever agricultural extension
bill, which has the unqualified and
keenly active support of the Nation
al Soil Fertility League, provides for
this service, the federal government
appropriating a sufficient fund, also
the States, and apportioned according
to the rural population. From OBJ
servation of foreign and occasional
domestic application of these methods
it will be a tremendously profitable
investment.
Paraphrases Horace Greeley
I desire to say word for my own
section of the country If Horace Gree
ley were here today, I am satisfied,
with his keen observation and practi-
cal conception of things, that instead
of his famous utteranc" Go West,
young man, and grow y with the
country he would turn and say, Go
South, young man
''Here we see 100000 people each
year going into Western Canada, yet
we have in the South millions of acres
of magnificent farm land as good as
anywhere in the United States, which
would be purchased at from S. to S12
an acre, and I assert on absolute proof
and regard that we can produce as
much grain and raise as much live
stock of as fine a grade as anywhere
in the United States
''In my own State of South Carolina
we hold the corn-producing record
per acre of the United States, in my
own State we have the original alfal-
fa-growing tract of land. Your great
Western ranges have been cut up and
are being cut up into farms, and the
South will become the natural and
radical meat producing section Of the
United States.