The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1913-07-30
FARM INSTRUCTION
URGED BY Lever
CONGRESSMAN Makes Plea Be-
fore Soil Fertility League
for More Scientific Agricul' l.
tural Methods.

AGRICULTURAL eAeohsloh oAiA' "~
guest of honor at the Union League
club yesterday at luncheon OF the
National Soil Fertility league. He
advocated direct education OF the IN
dividual farmer with a view to con-
serving the soil resources of the
United States, before large gather
ing of financial leaders, economists
and agricultural, educators.
That the latest Investigations of gov
ernment experts show decrease IN
proportion to population in recent
wears the amount of ground devote d
to the raising of food products was
disclosed. Statistics were quoted 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 LOCO
years.
The famous advice of Horace Gree
ley to the young men of America was
reversed by the Con gresham, who de-
clared 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 after
ton paid to agriculture by the goy-
ernment heads" said Congressman
Lever. "Washington, Jefferson and
other early Presidents endeaYored 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. Twen-
ty-five years later came the expert
ment stations. Now we propose to
establish and maintain public SER
vice of tremendous value to every III
terest in the land when we place a
skilled farm demonstrator in every
agricultural county.
''The Lever agricultural exter sion
bill, which has the unqualified snd
keenly active support OF the National
Soil Fertility league, provides for this
service. the federal government ap-
propriating sufficient fund, also the
states, and apporticned according to
the rural population. From observa-
tion of foreign and occasional domes-
tic application of these methods it
will be tremendously profitable in.
vestment
ST desire to say word for my own
section of the country. If Horace
Greedy were here today, am satisfied,
with his keen observation and practi-
cal conception of things, that instead
of his famous utterance, "Go West,
young man, and grow up with the
country he would turn and say, Go
South, young man.
Here we see 100, 900 people each year
going into Western Canada, yet we
have in the South millions Of acres of
magnificent farm land as good as any
where in the United States, which
could be purchased at from IS to S12
an acre, and I assert on absolute proof
and record 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 tho corn producing record per
acre of the United States; in my own
state We have the original alfalfa
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.
OuE 10SO oAN AeAOO1 S4OOAOAuS AochAO
can take care of itself. All this agi-
tation and disturbance is due to the
individual endeavoring to make CAPT.
tai, ana is largely and almost invaria-
bly, the effort of some local disturber
or demagogue. We ask you Northern
and Western business men and COM
mun1ty leaders to support the Lever
agricultural extension bill-to help
Us, and we will help you. Turn the
tide of immigration, keep our people
under the old flag. Come South and
we will welcome you and we will
make you rich"
President II. H. Gross reviewed the
work of the league during the last two
years, in which it's principal efforts
have beeo devoted to the support Of
the Lever agricultural extension bill
which in a measure provides for the
establishment and maintenance in
every agricultural county IN the
United States of a skilled farm ad-
wiser, who will bring to the individual
I