Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-06-29

| ture on a permanent basis are the out
ragecus losses which we suffer through
| the constant waste of our natural re-
sources These losses are largely pre-
ventabIe and are primarily due to the
carelessness with which we have han
died our lands. They account for the
scarcity of vegetable and animal prod
ucts on our markets which our rapidly
growing population demands. They ex-
plain the high cost of living and the
tendency for yything to go up which
has been evidenced of late. If these
losses weer not preventable or If the
waste which now takes place in the open
country did no. affect our economic life
50 seriously and threaten the future OF
our industries. we might be able to look
upon the existing condition with some
| degree of com aiacency, but since the
| welfare OF the ration Is at stake, as
we'll as that Of every individual land
| owner, II is surely high time we give
soms consideration to the present situa-
! ton aud at least made some effort to
remedy It, To this end an attempt has
| been made to call attention to some of
ire more important losses which are
occurring in practically every state for
the purpose Of arcusing not only the
land owner, but every citizen generally,
| to the importance of this matter and
winning sufficient sympathy and support
|
ton of a campaign which will be eff
fective In mitigating existing conditions
to a large degree
| V hen it is stated that a common
| wealth Ike Georgia loses 100000 900
| annually, the average person thinks 1t
a Jest and a joke. To the farmer 1t APP
pears incredible, but If one should say
that 5000, 100000 are lost it would not
be difficult to establish the reasonable
| Of ha at IN he hq a
a loss of $10O,0O0,0OO, let us consider
for a minute how such a tremendous
| sum of money is wasted, and what must
| be done in order to prevent its continu-
| ance In the first place. there is a tre-
mendoUs loss each year of organic mat
| ter thereby taking from the soil con-
| stituent necessary to fertility, to sup
plying the land with nitrogen, and aid
ing in the disintegration of mineral
plant food elements necessary to plant
Life We also waste organic matter in
| the refuse obtained from animals. and
| through burning leaves and trash. We
| fail also to supply our soils with this
element through growing a proper
amount of leguminous crops to be turned
| under in the form of green manurss
There are cultivated in Georgia, for in
stance, over twelve million acres of land
If five pounds of nitrogen are washed
out of the soil per acre at present prices
we have accounted for a loss of more
than $12,0O0,000. As a matter Of fact
the loss of this element per acre may
often run to fifty pounds,
The foregoing statement is therefore,
very conservative. Erosion at the rate
of so cents per acre on our corn and
cotton land amounts to $5,S2O,0O0.
failure to pillow your land deeply and
SO store water satisfactorily and the
deficiency in equipment which enables
rapid, shallow and thorough cultivation
to be carried on with all crops amounts
to at least $50 per farm or 80
| SIS, $40. 900. Comparatively little of our
corn and cotton land is devoted to cover
crops; yet if the farmer buys forty
bushels of corn or two tons of hay,
as thousands Of our farmers do. this
amounts to a loss of $40 per farm, or to
81, Gao, 900. Through the application of
| inefficient fertilizers, unbalanced for
mulas, and the use of nostrums of one
kind and another, we lose at least SILL
$4,000. Through q failure to grow
food crops in sufficient quantity and
variety to supply the needs of our peo
pie and our animals, We lose at least
another $11,64O,0O0. Through planting
poor seed which has not been properly
selected and which often contains dis
case germs we lose another 81, $40, 900.
/
crops, we are forced to buy a lot of
animal products each year This GER
tainly amounts to at least 81, 100000.
Through a failure to rotate and diversi-
fy crops, we have to buy corn and
breadstuffs to the extent of at least
1850, 900 When we add these fig
ures together. even though so conserva-
lively stated. they reach the astonish-
ing total of 100000, 900
h. of hn n
practice indicated? The farm hons is
not developed as 1t should be. 1t is not
possessed of the attractions or the COM
forts to which the farmer and his fami-
| ~ are entitled. His lands are washed
and quilted, and the bitches, creeks and
rivers run red with the material blood
of the land to the sea. We are pro-
ducing an average of fifteen bushels of
corn per acre and 1913 pounds of lint
cotton Investigations of the farm man.
agement department of the Georgia
State College of Agriculture indicate,
however. that one must produce twenty
bushels Of corn per acre In order to
make profit, and at least half bale
Of cotton Hence, it is not surprising
that many farmers claim that they are
making only the barest kind OF an ex-
| istence and it should not shock us that
many of them are unable to pay their
labor income of the average farmer is
only $446.5S per year. In other words,
this ia the sum total of money avail
able to the farmer with family which
will average five in number with which
| to make improvements to his farm and
buildings purchase clothing, provide
| for the education of his children, and
! lIuuidate the debts against his holdings.
Is 1t surprising under such conditions
| that tenancy should show an increase
from year to year. and that our agri-
cultural lands should become less pro-
ductive and the waste of our resources
aggravated rather than circumscribed?
This is not a dark picture. and 1t has
not been painted with any pessimistic
purpose or thought in view, but in the
hope Of arousing greater general In
terest in the problems Of the open G.
| try and the necessity tor changing our
methods Of farm practice.
Suppose for a moment. therefore, that
We turn 10 the other side of the pic
| ture, and Sc what can be done to build
up the land and make the farmer pros
porous, and thereby all our industries.
We can build up soil fertility very read
| ily and at a reasonable cost by taking
proper forethought First. we should
ap,nIov orgapic manures derived from