The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-07
SOUTHLANDS OF
ILLINOIS CAN
Be vITALIzED
Scientific Treatment VIII Make
sEgypt, Rival Wheat and Corn
Belt of Central Section.

Springfield, ILL.,, Jan. ~ Poor
lands of Illinois Egyptian empire
in southern Illinois, by nature 100
impoverished to raise much more
/ than poverty grass" and mort
CAGES, can be made to rival the
rich soil OF the corn belt farther
north If property treated by modern
methods of agriculture, according
to H. E. Young, secretary OF the
| Illinois Farmers Institute.
/ When one crosses the Baltimore
& Ohio railroad tracks which ira
| verse the state from ST. Louis to
Vincennes, Ind, he enters the land
of Egypt" and as he pushes south
ward he passes many farms which
for years we're considered agricul-
turally hopeless.
Not all of Egypt was so destitute
of hope, but enough of the land
was so poor that southern Illinois
was considered foreign to Illinois
agriculture.
| Then came the awakening.
Dairymen and fruit growers were
the first to seize upon the oppor-
tunities of Egypt. Admiralty adapt
ed to dairying and fruit growing,
southern Illinois has gained recog-
milton in these branches of agricul-
ture, but it remained to the late
Cyril G. Hopkins, noted soil ex-
pert, to prove that Egypt can do
still more. Mr.. Young said.
Proper application of scientific
agriculture and faith in the posi-
bilities which lie there is all that
is needed to bring Egypt up to the
position of rival of the great
| corn belt of central Illinois, accord
ing to Mr. Young
First Test in 1893.
Egypt's first test along general
agricultural lines was started in
1903 by Mr.. Hopkins. He pur-
| chased a farm in Marion county
near its north boundary. Friends,
familiar with the natural soil, re-
ferred to Hopkins property as
| ''Poorland Farm so the owner
adopted the title as the official
name for his farm.
The Hopkins farm, according to
Mr.. Young, was no better than the
average run of impoverished land
in that section of state. If any
thing, he added, it was below the
average in soil fertility
Those who knew of its impover-
ished condition were inclined to
| question the sanity of anyone who
would pay real money for such OBJ
| Viously poor land" MI Young said.
But DR.. Hopkins was either crazy
| nor ignorant of the true condition
or the soil. He knew it was poor,
so poor that it would raise nothing
| besides poverty grass and mort
cages, but that did not dampen his
conviction that it could be made
productive of profitable crops.
Theory Proven.
! THE fact that it was Door land.
! asriculturally bandoned, made it all
| the more desirable from his stand
point. 1t could be bought cheapIy
and unless soil investigations were
all wrong, could be profitably i'm
! proved. He was ready to stake his
| reputation as a soil doctor on a
| practical demonstration. He burtN
ed his bridges behind him, and he
| lived to see his theory proven he
/ yond doubt 'Poorland Farm was
improved so that its crop Yields be-
came equal to those on high priced
corn belt lands of central Illinois
and its soil is no longer what its
name implies "
Since the death of Mr.. Hopkins.
'Poorland Farm" has heen oper-
ated by the Hopkins Memorial as
ISOLATION whose object is TO con-
tinue along the course laid out by
| the noted founder.
In fertilizers and clover crops
lie the secret of the regeneration of
Egypt as wheat and corn coun-
try, Mr.. Young continued.
Feed Center.
| southern Illinois has the advant-
age over the high priced lands of
the corn belt, Mr.. Young said. in
that its cheaper lands can be mt
into pasture for raising the feed
er" supply for the central part of
! the state. Central Illinois farmers
/ feel that they cannot afford to mt
! their high-priced land into pasture
but they want cattle and hogs to
prepare for the market after they
nave reached the feeding" stage.
| Corn IS the great fattener and thew
have the corn. Egyptian farmers
can profit by this demand by pro-
| duclng the feeders" for central
| Illinois farmers, who will gladly
buy from their southern Illinois
! nelghbors rather than from west.
ern stockmen, Mr.. Young said.
Hard roads will bring an era of
prosperity to Egyptian farmers. Mr.
Young predicted Bankers of south
ern Illinois, if they would abandon
some of their conservatism. could
hasten the day when Egypt can
successfully compete with the corn
belt country, he declared, bv
launching and supporting soil i'm
provement organizations to nonr-
lsh the agricultural giant which
mas slumbered so long in the CLAW
nils OF the erstwhile land of nov