Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1921-07-15
disposal OF SURPLUS A
SERIOUS FARM PROBLEM

celVe the most careful attention by
the scientist and the lay men not
only today but tomorrow. next week.
next month and throughout the years.
Everyone who is at all familiar
with methods in agriculture and
with production today as compared
with production %. 50 or 100 years
ago, appreciates that there has been
"A tremendous progress in methods.
in economy of production and in ef-
ficiency OF the producer. A hun
dred and twenty years ago SIS per
cent Of the entire population of this
country was engaged in agriculture
because everyone was needed to pro-
duce and each one produced only
about enough for himself with little
or no surplus. In 1850 only - per
cent Of the entire population was en-
gagged in agricultural production. i'm
900 fess than 50 per cent was so
engaged and in 1921 perhaps less
than . per cent of our workne pop
ulation is engaged i'm agricultural
production. In other words. today
one man or one family produces NOT
only enough food for itself bur also
a surplus sufficient for two TO thYea
potber families.
This increased efficiency per man
has come in large measure through
the progressive invention of farm
machinery labor saving devices and
methods of using increasing power
per man. The inventive genius and
the experience OF the farmer and the
quick response OF the manufacturer
and his experts to the farmers needs
have done much for this develop
ment. On the other hand. during
this time truths of nature on which
agricultural practice is based have
been discovered and utilized. This
has been done largely through the
work OF an increasing group OF sci
entists who, since the establishment
Of the L. S. Department of Aeri-
culture and the founding of the eX-
pertinent stations have given their
entire time and ambition to the serv-
tivities as the introduction and test
ing of crops from the four corners of
the earth and the study and develop
ment of the science basic to produc-
ton. They have done a work which
it would have been impossible for
the farmer himself to do. Usually
they have been the servants of the
public employed on public funds and
their interest has been not so much
in the financial returns to them
selves. which often are meager. but
in the JOY derived from the study
of the laws of life and of nature, and
in the happiness which comes in
serving ones fellow men.
While the farmer himself, with
out these devoted men of science
would have made great progress, it
would have been much slower and
not nearly so comprehensive as the
progress of today. Today is the day
of conferences between farmers and
between other groups of men en-
gagged in work having common in
terests. However numerous these
conferences or however exhaustive
it would not be possible to evolve out
81 t1n inn n
entiousness of those participating
new variety of wheat, resistant to
diseases, and of high yield. How
ever careful their work they would
not be likely to bring from the four
corners of the earth varieties of GER
calls, of clovers, of alfalfas, grasses
or other plants better adapted to our
climate and our soil than those we
now have However keen their OBJ
seryations and however careful their
practice it would have been difficult
farmers to determine the life his
tory of insects such as the codling
moth and the San Jose scale and to
develop and test sprays for the pre-
vention of these and other pests.
Iowever thorough their under
standing of animals and animal life,
they probably would never have per-
eocted serum for the prevention of
hog cholera, the iodine treatment
for goitre or the numerous protect
i've antitoxines or other remedies for
the diseases of animals. Nor per-
haps would they have discovered
such laws Of heredity as we now
know nor been able to make the
great progress in plant breeding and
in animal breeding which are being
made today as result of the knoWl-
adoo Of thacp laws