Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-08-27
NEW PIONEER ERA.
(Sioux City Journal. ]

Iowa agriculture is on the verge OF
an era hich viii be as truly pioneer
ing as when the work Of it's original
settlers In a sense ii is Il more i'm
por tan, pioneering effort because upon
it dcpeaGs the states permanent pros
peI.ty as an agricultural community.
which can not always live, tho IL
has already too long lived, on the store
Ct fertility found in the soil by the nrst
pioneers.
That fertility. stored by nature
thru the course of thousancs OF
years, Vas just what brought tne hrsS
farmers to this region. They found u
mere in great abundance. For the
most part they brought little to sus-
tain them thru the long period re-
auircd to establish a Judgment. Sus-
tenance and surplus had 10 come out
OF natures store. Indeed. title to the
Iand had 10 be got and improvements
mace by debt running far into the
future. on the basis of low prices
, subject to dig deductions for trans
por.ation to distant markets, there
was thus little margin left for restora-
ton of fertility. and that little was too
often unused for the purpose.
In short, the maximum Of farm
! crops from native soil fertility has al
! ready been reached even in the later
settled parts, and in the state gener-
ally long since passed. Those crops,
which are the basis of Livestock anu
all other concentrated agricultural
| products. would be found steadily to
decline in the natural order of things.
| /, is precisely here that the oppor-
naceESfiy for "A ne"
/ era oe pioneering in Iowa agriculture
1 comes in-tile era Of restoring fertility
! TO the soil as the occupation of the
/ state covering a period Of more than
! two full generations was an era OF ex-
/ haus,ion Of that fertility. There is
nothing novel as to the method. l,
has been demonstrated right here by
progressive farmers. 1t has been
greatly elaborated and improved by
| the agricultural colleges and govern
ment experiment stations. But the
! vital point is the actual systematic
! employment OF the method and the
| immense rewards therefor, and cor
responding penalties OF failure.
| No section in all the great agricul-
,ursl region Of the country exceis
Iowa in variety Of staple crops fol
rotation. Tie SiosSAS oA"e
/ other legumes which automatically re-
store vital elements Of fertility to the
.or. Anyone may see the marvellous
efficiency Of alfalfa. which is clover
BY looking in any direction from Siou'
City either IN Iowa or across the riv'
erg into Nebraska and South Da'
kota.
! Here is the actua! fact: Thi'
process OF renewing the soil need no
in the meantime reduce the amount o.
value of the vegetable growths which
are the basis OF livestock and oths
/ secondary and more compact agricul
turaI products. 1t may actually in
;. crease them, especially in connection
!, with other ordinary manures. 1t cal
vastly increase them IL SUPPLEMENTS
by commercial fertilizers. These las
have a strange and startling sound II
! this particular latitude and Longitude
blu. they are today practical am
profitable as tomorrow will prove.
Il We are now well past the 800 al
acre mark in land prices. which man
Of the early pioneer who were sus
tanned by the native fertility OF tn
| soil did not live to see. The pioneer
in renewal Of fertility. those who nov
. carry on the process with in.elsgenc
and persistence, will in much Ahorte
time and more easily be carried to an
! beyond the $500 an acre mark II
!. means the greater production an
|. | richer rewards Of intensified farmtnl