Evening star., 1938-09-11
Revolution in Agriculture
Brought by Program of T. V. A.
Life of Farmers in Area Is Greatly Changed by
New Fertilizer, Modern Land Methods
and Cheap Electricity.
BY John Lear.
Associated Press Stan Writer.

| son County, across range Of hills in a
different type Of land from Fosters.
Kilion's farm in 1885 earned $29 less
| than he paid out in taxes and upkeep. When
he Joined the "superphosphate" program
his books improved like this: 1896, income,
sl,040; expenses, s753. 1887, income, 81 ,879;
expenses, $l,124.
His crop yield, went up like this: Corn,
1885, 80 bushels per acre; 1897 80 bushels
per acre. Tobacco, 1885, 1897 pounds; 1897,
1857 pounds. Wheat 1885, IS bushels per
acre. 1887, 20 bushels per acre
The same phosphorus which enriched his
soil improved his livestock through better
feed, and the income from his cows. his
pigs and his poultry rose from 1882 in
1895, to se7l in 1886 to STAT in 1887.
While his income was going up he was
keeping more and more Of his land in SOIL
| saving legumes, which meant still more
| money from the Federal Government His
payments for participation in the CROP
control program increased from s24 in
1885 to s8a in 1897.
Crop Rotation Theory.
The crop rotation theory underlying this
| movement is not new. The contribution
claimed by the T. " A. is to make it prac-
| ticable among many farmers who up to now
for many reasons could not make living
without planting all their land in cash
crops.
1t is too early yet to tell the value of
this phase of the newborn farm program
for there are two widely divergent schools
| of thought in the matter
| One, favorable to the T. V. AS purposes,
contends that the $800o000 spent on the
| phosphate-farm program up to June 3O
| l937-the last fiscal year for which Official
figures are now available-is small
amount to pay If it means rebuilding de-
pleted land
The other, challenging T. v. AS eff
cheney, says the taxpayers money is being
spent recklessly.
Electric Power Phase.
The county farm agents, who form the
backbone of the farm extension service,
| also are playing major role in the second
| phase of the new agriculture-electric
! power
1t is this phase which has stirred up
most of the controversy over T. v. A. in the
Supreme Court and lesser courts
The ''yardstick" question is only now
coming to a decisive test. in Knoxville,
Tenn. where the city and the T. v. A. last
month took over the entire electric system
of the Tennessee Public Service Co. The
| T. v. A. frankly regards Knoxville as the
| proving ground for its contention that its
| rates are not a matter of guess work.
as some private utilities assert-but are
sound and fair and productive Of profit
| despite their low scale.
The power companies are not alone in
their antagonism to the T. v. AS advance
| AS you travel across the countryside you
still hear Of resentment IT. v. A. says it is
gradually dying OUT against the T. " A. S
! sweeping changes in land that has been
the same for generations This is par
t1cularly true in the back country, where
| the mountain folk are known for their in
dividualism. People who did not want to
move were moved from farms which later
were flooded in the big dams.
In the T. v. AS plan for soil conserva-
ton, power dovetails like a piece in 4
| Jig-saw puzzle.
When legumes are used to complement
other farm crops. the T. " A. agricultural
experts say, electrical farm machinery be-
comes not only useful but economical and
often profitable The balanced farming
which is the T. v. A. ideal means COWS
hogs and chickens in addition to food
crops. Cows, hogs and chickens need water
and feed, Water can be supplied easiest
with electric pumps, and feed can be
ground with electric mills.
Farm Electriication.
As an example of how completely farm
can be electrified, the T. v. A. referred to
the Northwest Georgia acres of ]. S.
Christian. In addition to having electric
lights in his house. Farmer Christian has
electric pumps, electric mixers, electric
separators electric churn, electric refriger-
ators and electric bottle washers. not to
mention an electric fence to keep his COWS
In pasture and an electric hytrap to keep
his dairy farm free Of flies.
Farmer Christian, one of comparatively
lew who can boast Of such an assortment
OF power equipment in the valley, cannot
quite get over what electricity has done
for him.
He had turned wholesale milk business
which brought him $89 to $95 every two
weeks into a retail milk business which
brought him $27 to $50 day He paid of
$500 expenses, bought an electric range,
water heater and new kitchen sink, and
put $4,000 in the bank--in two years time.
Farmer Christian is one of 1900 farmers
who belong to the North Georgia Electric
Membership Corp, cooperative in which
each farmer owns at least one $40 share.
The cooperative built 435 miles of it's own
electric line buys power from T. v. A. on
a wholesale basis and sells it to its men,
bers at retail prices IS per cent below the
| nearby rates of private power firms. 1t
borrowed s425, 900 from the Rural Electric
fication Administration to pay for the
lines; 1t is paying back the loan over 40
years.