The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1925-09-15

There is a steady march OF abandon
ed farms from the Atlantic seaboard
west. 1t is almost appalling to see the
increasing number OF abandoned farms
that once produced good food crops.
The section from which l come, north
eastern Ohio, has been settled and I'M
der cultivation less than one hundred
wears: and vet there are so many
abandoned farms i'll that section 1t
makes one think what will be the sad
story in another hundred years In my
short life | have seen one farm after
another abandoned that in my youth
produced excellent crops. The fertility
of the soil is gone and it can not now
produce sufficient crops to pay Tor
cultivation 1t probably could be re-
stored if there were ample supplies
OF cheap fertilizers. In my judgment,
the greatest single thing that could
be done for American agriculture
would be to provide the farmers OF
this country with cheap fertilizers. so
that they might maintain the fertility
of their soil and continue to produce
food for the American people at
fair profit to themselves.
The whole story of the. human race
is a story of one migration after an
other in search of new fertile land.
So far as we know civilization had its
origin in Asia, and mankind moved
from one fertile valley to another IN
a generally westward course, until H.
nally man landed on the eastern coast
of America and started the last lap
of the migration around the globe.
We have now reached the Pacific, back
TO the place of beginning. There IS no
longer a frontier in America or the
world. There is only one remaining
river valley in the world, the La Plata
in the southern part of South Amer
ca, that has not been subjected to
agriculture and is capable of abundant
production, and even this is being
rapidly settled.
"There Are No More Fertile Valleys"
Where will man go from here?
There are no more fertile valleys to
be cultivated and robbed of their Ter
tility. 1t is now a question for Amerl-
ca to conserve and build up her soil
fertility in order that famine may not
blight us in the years to come.
We have a small apparent surplus
of food produced in this country, but
! would like to call attention to few
glaring facts Ali of the land remain
ing in the United States that is avail
able for cultivation, and not now Gull
tivated, is about equal in area to the
state of Illinois. When this additional
land is reduced to cultivation there
will be no more.
Where, then, will we look for the
additional food for our increasing
population? Shall we look to Russia,
whose impoverished soil causes fam
inc more or less regularly? We can
not forget the rather frequent news
stories of famine in Russia, and the
appeals for food from other nations,
nor the fact that Russia produces only
9 bushels of wheat per acre, as against
the low average of IA in the United
States. Shall we look to famineridden
China, whose soil has been exhausted
and produces less than enough Tor
her own population? 1t is said that
China produces only one crop in seven
years. Shall we look to India, where
famine haunts a destitute peoplef 1t
is said that there are more hungry
people in India every year than the
total population of the United States.
Where shall we turn when America
must import part of her food supply?
Shall we look TO the other smaller
countries which produce barely enough
for themselves, or are even now I'M
porting part Of their food supply from
other lands? America is one of the
few food producing countries that has
an exportable surplus. When our sur
plus disappears and it becomes a de-
ficiency, then we shall have to COM
pete with all of the other importing