Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1914-01-29
Report Of G. F.
Wathen, Jr.
Read Before The Farmers ms
tItute At Leonasd Hall On Fri
day, January 10, 1914

In discussing the demonstration
work, the aim of which, as outlined
by its founder. the late DR.. :. A.
Knapp, was to improve every
phase of rural life, not only TO teach
the farmer how to grow better crops,
but how to live better, and TO i'm
prove the conditions under which
he lives.
shall mention the need, the ORR
gin, the teachings. and the result
of the work.
The necessity of the work in the
South where the work was first put
into practice was caused by an in
sect that had reduced the yield of
the principal money crop in that sec
tion SO as TO entirely wipe out any
profit that might come from the
cultivation of the crop. You can
readily see the threatened condition
of community deprived of suffi-
cient income to supply its needs.
Here in st. Mary's county while
not the same cause, the same cOndi-
tiGn exists, thought not i'm the same
degree because our people more
nearly produce all food consumed
OH the farm than they did in the
South. The principal cause Of our
condition is the low yield per acre
caused by bad farming practices
which have reduced the yield of our
crops to such an extent that vast
areas of our county have been aban-
doned rs Improbable TO cultivate un-
der such conditions or low yields
per acre; high prices of labor and
uncertain markets the most import
ant feature of all.
The problems confronting us are
the problems confronting most cul-
tivators of the soil. Oar crops are
steadily decreasing while the cost of
production is increasing, even more
rapidly. The competition of the
nearby cities and other local indus
tries have attracted our labor until
the lack of skilled labor has become
one of the serious problems of to-
day To remedy this we must give
our agriculture sufficient earning
power 10 compete. OF market we
are assured with our increased con-
sumption of food stuffs caused by our
rapidly increasing population. so to
increase profits, il is merely neces-
sary to increase yields per acre. To
he brief, the prime need of the far
mer is greater nets gains.
We have reached the turning
point in our system of farming.
The land owner must abandon the
loose system practiced since the
settlement Of the country: a system
that has resulted in the depletion of
our soils until the yield per acre has
fallen below the cost of production.
The importance of improving our
methods of handling soils is of
equal importance To tenant and land
owner alike, since 1876 per cent. of
ali the farms in Maryland are work
ed under the tenant system and the
average annual income of each farm
worker is s24S.s5. Now, when we
consider the more prosperous sec
tions of Maryland, you must ma
turally conclude that the average OF
Southern Maryland is far below that.
Likely less than half that amount.
Now, the real solution of the prob
lem Is to increase the yield per man
by increasing the yield per acre,
and by better market system. Then
will We settle the question of rural
development so much talked of az
present. To remedy these condi-
tlons We must, first, increase the
fertility of our rundown soils. l.
do MOI say worn-out soils. for soils
do not wear out. an expression
commonly heard. As an evidence
that they DO not wear out. the mos,
fertile soils in this county are those
which have been in cultivation the
greatest number of years. But
soils can be abused and misused.
and they have been | am sorry to
say.
To remedy this abuse and make
-NN~%NANA0a wi IT, AtiSu>G u the OBJ
ject of the Demonstration Work.
There is nothing in the nature of
guess work about the new method.
It's rules are fixed and permit of no
latitude. Simply speaking they are
the laws of nature; they permit no
violation without punishment; fur
Their they involve no serious expense
in their application. BY following
them closely we can, in few years
restore a rundown soil to a prof.
table crop producing one, merely By
supplying depleted chemical ele-
ments Of fertility. and practicing
intelligent rotation of crops to res
tore humus 70 the soil. and the feed
ing Of live stock so as to get two
profits from crops produced: one