The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1936-06-12

, rel0pmcnts and changes are takin:
place constantly that vitality affcc
farming as way of life.
Agriculture is faced with the pro.
poet of tremendous changes such ~
will overthrow the accepted way OF
life of millions of farmers, and has
ten the necessity for definite social
change.
Recent developments in so-callcd
factory farming not on.y give pro
mis- of rap" expansion in that iii.
rcciion bnt olSo carry the germ of
what may row ia :: .durI>
problem e.. those depend .nt nron
crescent methods of farming to PRO
vide IN inrpn" II maintain Ter
familic;.
~ y farming j. RAPIDLY "as<-
ing he experiment. stage First
news oc tins st1Itlln. avclopmcnt
of fuzzy production Of fruits and
vcgr rs and grains came from
\ England where experiments have
bcra-jn progress for some time.
Other experimental work, ON a
considerably larger scale, is being
carried on a Santa CRUZ, Calfor-
$50 significant are the implica-
tions of these revolutionary tests.
that a permanent exhibit of the pro
cess has been installed in IIorticul.
tural Hall, Rockefeller Center New
York City.
Yes, plants are bling grown with.
out soil-and ndors, And the most
surprising thing is that they grow
faster; yield four, five, and six and
i'm some cases even twelve times as
much in the same space Of those
growing in soil outdoors: and the
the crops are of the finest quality.
Essentially, the process makes
use of glass or concrete tanks, in
which the temperature is controlled
by thermostat. The bottom is Gov
cred with several inches of water
over this is placed wire grid that
supports an inch or two of sawdust
Roots Of small Seeding plants reach
through this sawdust. Roots OF
small Seeding plants reach through
this sawdust into the water below
which is fed with "rations" of com
mon inexpensive salts that provide
the chemical elements usually sup.
piled by the soil.
In Santa CRUZ, a argc factory
building houses many tanks Of this
kind. Tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage,
and other vegetables, as we'll rs
chrysanthcmums, astcrs. and mum
crons other flowers. have been
gronw of the finest quality and in
half normal time required for or.
binary outdoor crops.
The biggest surprise in, this new
factory agriculture is the cnor-
nous yields that are obtained. To-
matoes, for instance, do well by re-
Snlar land culture To yield IL tons
TO the acre. Tank culture has licldcd
at the rate of 1900 tons TO the acre.
BY this method adequate plant food
for maximum production can BE-
supplied without regard to he space
occupied Ivy a plan merely by con
troll of concentration i'm the fluid he
low the roots, and the plants can b.
placed as close together as freedom
of growth will permit.
IL is not lickly that these factory
methods of production will be ap-
piled 10 general field crops To any
marked extent in the immediate fu-
ture. Nevertheless, they hold a real
challenge for farmers in general.
Only by Organization and learn
ing to work together TO adjust their
activities according to conditions
will farmers be able TO maintain
their place i'm the life Of the nation.
The Agricultural Conservation pro
gram provides opportunity for far
mers throughout the nation TO or
ganize effectively as TO be able 10
meet these new poblems rs they a
rise.