Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-07-24
DEATH SUMMONS TWO WELL KNOWN
AND HIGHLY RESPECTED CITIZENS

Save the Soil and
Reap Larger Harvest
Sometime the people Of this great
state will realize that saving the soil
is second in Importance only to say.
ing the soul We boast Of the rich
soils Of Dakota but the greatest need
Dakota has is for positive information
regarding the composition and profit
able enrichment and permanent pre-
;servation of these soils. Thus spoke
DR.. Cyril G. Hopkins to- the graduate
ing class of the state college last
month. The fact that Dr, Hopkins is
the world famous soil expert Of the
University of Illinois and a graduate
of the state college gave added weight
to his words.
He is only half informed who says
the great agricultural problem OF
Dakota Is son moisture. BY no means
should we neglect the conservation OF
moisture, but to produce larger crops
with a limited supply Of moisture re-
quires soil enrichment. One OF Gods
early commandments was Re fruitful
and multiply and s,splenish the eartk,
and subdue it," but SAID DS. Hopkins,
the last two parts of that command
Tment we have disobeyed in America
for three hundred years. He ciued
millions of acres of abandoned farms
to show faat we have neither repaen.
ished nor subdued the earth.
Why should The YIELD Of wheat in
Dakota average only twelve bushels
per acre? Some say it is because
farmers grow wheat year after year
on the same land, but such answer
is made in ignorance, for the aver
age farmer follows no such plan. The
abandoned farm lands in the United
States have in most pieces gone down
to abandonment under good crop ro-
tations. :.
There must be soma other cause :
said Dr. Hopkins, eand what is it?''
He found the answer IN a sngle word
fertility The greatest investment
South Dakota could make wepad be
an investigation of her soils. <'The
agricultural experiment station of the
state college was established to sur
vey the soils of the state, to collect
Trustworthy samples representative OF
all soil types, to make analysis ITO as.
certain the stock Of fertility and phs.
ical character of each, and to careful.
Ily conduct well planned neld expert.
tments to supplement the other ways
of securing information: and there
ought to be and must be If duty is
done, persistent wen organized and
successful movement TO secure ade,
Equate appropriations for the inaugu-
ration and prosecution of this most
fundamental work z
This soil survey is absolutely es,
sentia1. 1t can be started with $685.
900 year, but as fast as a force cal,
be secured and developed the fund
should be increased until it nears the
one cent per acre. The question
should be not how little the appropri-
alton can be. but rather how much
money can be used to advantage in
pushing this work to completion.
Estate appropriations are not secur-
led by wishing, but by work, by organ
lied effort, and no greater service
could be rendered by those who have
at heart the welfare and future pros
perity of the state than by working
as individuals and through associa-
tions to awaken the public conscience
and intellect and to secure the nec9
essary Initial appropriation, perhaps
from the next session of the legisla-
ture.''
Summarized in word, DIR. Hopkins
plea was for definite information con-
corning Dakota soils. No better
farming adviser can help his consti-
tlients as much as he should without
an accurate knowledge of the soils.
He must know what fertility elements
are lacking and how to supply the
deficiency.
That there is culture in agricultural.
education DR. Hopkins said: There
is no subject or field of higher edn.j
cative value than agriculture and its
foundation sciences. The study of
plantfood compounds is at least as
cultural and often more valuable and
useful than the study Of Latin COM
pounds, and there is as much mental
development and refinement in the
bacterial fixation of atmospheric nit.
rogen In alfalfa roots az in the study
of Greek roots and vastly more of
application and utility in the world Of
human endeavor and service to hui
nranity The support Of the best mea
and women are required in this for.
ward movement In agriculture
Mrs. g. A. Tuck. a former resident
OF Watert0wn, but who has been re-
siding In Montana for several ysSlrs Ia