The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-04-11
Record Attendance at Meeting
of State Bankers.
Visitors Enjoyed Numerous
Entertainment Features.
WATERS ADDRESS
Head of Agricultural College
Gave Interesting Figures.
Fund Was Started for Widow
of Murdered Banker.

The fourth annual meeting of the
Kansas State Bankers association is
| ad1udged an unqualified success. The
attendance-about five hundred state
bankers and their wives-is the largest
in the history of the organization and
the program has been replete with ad-
dresses of interest to the visitors. There
have been many favorable comments.
moreover. relative to the entertainment
provided by the local bankers and their
wives. Adjournment will take place
late today.
One of the strong addresses OF the
meeting, and one which gave the bank
ers much food" for thought was de-
livered by H. J. Waters president of
the State Agricultural college. Tn
tensified Agriculture was the topic
under discussion. The speakers pointed
out that the installation of silos which
is one means to intensified farming
will result in bringing more money to
fore there is intensified farming
in Kansas it will be necessary
to build up the home markets,
develop factories. produce better live
stock put a stop to the practice OF
sending out produce in a raw state.
President Waters said in part:
Intensified Agriculture.
as the natural remedy for high cost
of living. 1t seems simple enough at
first glance of carrying out program
whereby the farmer would till half
his present area twice as well and
reap as large a harvest in the aggre-
gate as he now does from his larger
area, and leave the other half for an
other farmer to do equally as well
with.
Unfortunately it does not work out
kI,- I-r~
ever adopted intensive agriculture ex-
cept when forced to. 1t is easy enough
under intensive agriculture to double
the acre yields. but with it also has
gone a decreased man-yield.
I'VE concern ourselves much with The
problem of how people are to be fed
when We double our present population.
We may increase our population ten
fold and still not be required to farm
any more intensively then some of the
European counties are now farming.
To illustrate, Austria is supporting one
agricultural laborer on every five acres
of improved land Germany, one on
every ten acres. The United States
one for every fifty acres; Kansas one
for every 100. Were we tilling the
Kansas soil as intensively as the Aus
trians are tilling theirs, instead of
having 260, 900 agricultural workers in
this state as we have at present, we
should have more than five million
Kansas would then have population
of about 25 million and Topeka would
be nearly as large as Chicago now is.
But the income of the Kansas farm
family is approximately $4,000 while
that of the Austrian farm family is
less than $500, and this makes a dis
tinctive difference in the standards of
rural life between the two countries.
Society in it's desire for cheap food can
not afford to exploit rural life in this
country as it has done in Europe.
Before We develop intensive agricul-
ture it will be necessary for us to build
up home markets. This means that we
should develop factories and keep. our
money at home, besides increasing the
consumers at our very door. 1t will be
necessary also to develop better facfl-
tiles for using the markets we now
have 1t is costing too much to get
what We now produce to the consumer
and the farmer, right or wrong, at tnis
moment is more interested in the de-
tails of marketing what he now pro-
duces than he is in producing more.
Notwithstanding the fact that strict
Iy intensive agriculture is long ways
off in this country, We can do much
toward improving of our present sys-
tenn of agriculture without waiting for
any change in our present condition
and markets.
s'The first great step in this direction
would be for Kansas to produce more
and better live stock. Every bushel OF
corn and every pound of alfalfa grown
n the state should be fed in the state
and the manure returned to the soil
Every time a ton of Kansas alfalfa
crosses the Missouri river it carries out
Of the state $3.50 worth of our per
nanent capital. Every bushel Of corn
sent out in it's raw state takes 20 cents
worth of our soil fertility.
Mil Kansas Wheat.
Mill all the Kansas wheat in Kan
;as Send the white flour out as
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