The Washington herald., 1913-09-07

sive" farmer is matter of degree only.
Ex-Secretary of Agriculture Wilson rec
oEniZed this condition, and he devoted an
endless amount of energy and money to
teaching our farmers how 10 grow one
extra bushel OF corn per acre.
German thinkers long since recognized
the yield per acre as being the primary
object of intelligent agriculture, ana as a
result of their teachings the acreage yield
of cereals in Germany has increased so
per cent during the last thirty years.
But for this increase in yield per acre
the German people could not exist today.
1t was but a comparatively few years
ago that the German government was
assisting emigration TO America and
Australia because Of its ability to feed
or furnish work to S0,0O,OOO people,
while today. with a population of 65,00O,-
900 people, not only is every effort made
TO discourage emigration, out 10000 sea-
sonal workers are imported annually to
till the fields and work in her shops
An Euperor's Testimony.
In recent address delivered before
the German Agricultural Association
Emperor William stated that, based
upon his personal experience in scien-
tific and intensive farming. he was con-
WINGED that Germany not only could
produce the bread and meat for her
present population. but for millions yet
unborn. This condition has been brought
about through teaching their farmers
how to conserve and build I'D their
wOrn-out soils until today they produce
two bushels TO our one.
But Mr.. Carver objects to compari-
sons being made of German and United
States yields. He calls il ''palaver'' and
''mOonshine.' Evidently he considers it
useless for us to try to reach the Ger
man yields II he saw what is being
accomplished in Some sections OF our
country by the practice OF what is
termed intensive" farming, he might
not be so skeptical In common with
many others he seems to consider that
intensive" farming means constant
laborious work, while. as matter of
fact, as practiced here and abroad, il
simply means the introduction of a
hOed root crop in the cycle of rotation,
one year in three. four, or five. As to
what this intensive" farming already
is accomplishing in our own country, |
cite the following letter which 1 re-
ceived less than a week ago from one
of the leading farmers of Montana:
Farm ten miles west OF city.
Alfalfa feeding specially.
HESPEB FARM.
CATTLE AND SHEEP
SEED GRAIN.
I. D. O'DonneII. Proprietor.
Billings. Mont, Aug 9s, 1918.
Truman G. Palmer.
9Ol Union Trust Building,
Washington. d. c.
Dear Sir: Your letter of inquiry In
regard to the benefit OF sugar beets as
a rotation crop received.
Since the farmers in this valley have
been growing sugar beets their land val
ues have fully increased leo per cent.
The top values for good farming lands
before growing beets were about so per
acre, now the same lands are valued
from 800 to $50 per acre and are paying
good interest at that price.
The increased value of the land is due
fully as much from the increased yield
Of the crop following sugar beets as
from the sugar beet growing itself
Where the yield of oats before sugar
beets were grown was from n to G0
to grow from 75 to 125 bushels per acre:
On my own farm in 1912 | grew 12S
bushels Of oats per acre on a 60-acre
tract and also grew 74ls bushels Of wheat
on a 1O-aCre tract. both OF these follow
ing three crops Of sugar beets The crop
for this year is now in the shock and
looks fully as good. II not better, than
ever.
The weed problem and wild. oats have
heen eliminated N this valley by farm
ers who have been growing sugar beets
as a rotation crop.
The grain grown In this valley after