Modern Agriculture

Modern Agriculture By P. V. Cordon, Editor, The Utah Farmer I It was once my privilege to look through a huge telescope, focused on what was said to be a tiny star in the heavens — about the tiniest star that could be seen with the naked eye. So small it was, that its twinkle ordinarily could scarcely be de- tected in the light of the apparently larger and more brilliant stars about it. Through the telescope, however, it appeared entirely dif- ferent. In fact, it was no longer a star but a group of illumi- nated planets — a veritable cluster of worlds! The man in charge of the observatory explained that in the group were many suns, each as large or larger perhaps than our own sun; and that around each sun there probably revolved several planets, just as Earth and Jupiter and Mars and others, revolve about our sun. Moreover, each of these planets, it was said, probably had one or more moons, passing regularly around well defined or- bits, just as our own moon travels around Earth. There may be life there. Some astonomers state that there may be on those planets both plant and animal life; perhaps beings much like ourselves! How different from the ancient conception of the universe, is this modern appreciation of its vastness! A part — a very small part — of Earth, to the ancients was the center of all crea- tion. The sun, the moon and the stars were useful lights in the heavens, placed there solely for man's convenience; only those which could be seen were believed to exist. Now, we know that Earth is only one of innumerable planets, that our sun is only one of many suns; that those we see are only a few of what are believed to exist; and that man plays a relatively small part in the greatest scheme of the universe. II Agriculture is almost as old as man. We are told that father Adam, himself, had to go forth and live by the sweat of his brow, as man, ever since, has had to do. I am inclined to think, also, that Adam probably entertained a strong dislike for his task, because he doubtless was pretty soft, physically, when he went to work ; and he no doubt found life rather stren-

688 IMPROVEMENT ERA uous after his care-free existence in the Garden of Eden. I have an idea he wore blisters on his hands; his back ached, his feet were sore, and his stomach felt empty. Perhaps Adam's experience is really responsible for the fact that a great many of his descendants have had a strong dislike for agriculture. Through all the centuries, there have been many men who, rather than farm, have sought to do any- thing else at which they could make a living. To them, farm- ing has meant drudgery; and they have preferred to remain away from it. This seeking after other things has played a tremendously important part in the development of civilization as we know it. But through it all, agriculture, because of its being rather un- popular, has remained in the background. In our industrial life, indeed, agriculture has been in much the same position as the tiny star mentioned — surrounded by apparently larger and brighter stars which have dimmed the intensity of its own light. Agriculture, like the stars, also, is ordinarily taken for granted. The myriads of twinkling lights over-head, by most of us, are seldom thought of as belonging to anything of direct concern to us and we go through life scarcely realizing that our time, our travel, our climate, our soil, our very existence on this planet, are governed by those other planets we call moons and stars and suns. So while most of us know there is such a thing as agriculture, not many fully appreciate it. Some there are, who have never seen it! There are many who have seen it only as a tiny star on our industrial labyrinth, and many others, al- though closer to it than anyone else, have never known of its true relationships. Only a few have been privileged, as it were, to see agriculture through a telescope, to bring it close to the glass and study the organization of the elements composing it. When that is done, one sees that agriculture has appeared small only because it has been looked at from afar. Brought close, it is seen to be not a single body, but a group of bodies, at least one of which is closely related to every industry known to man. Ill The very center, the sun, of modern agriculture is, of course, the farm. It is upon the farm that everything else depends. It is toward the greater development of the farm that all who are interested in agriculture are working. Improvement in farm life commands their full attention. But there are many different angles to such an attainment, as I shall show; and from each angle there are many forces at work. Furthermore, there is need for more and better workers, as the task is only just begun.

MODERN AGRICULTURE 689 The farm, of course, if properly handled, is a piece of land, capable of producing bounteous crops. But what is this piece of land; from what source was it derived, what are its require- ments, by what methods may it most profitably be handled? To answer these questions, besides the farmer, himself, we find at work the geologist, the meteorologist, the soil physicist, the soil chemist, the soil bacteriologist, and the field experimenter; for the problem is complex and demands attention from all these different angles. But it is not enough to have the land, alone, even though its origin and requirements are known. There must be machin- ery and motive power — plows, harrows, discs, drills, binders, mowers, rakes, threshers, wagons, etc.; and, besides these im- plements, horses, mules, or tractors. Furthermore, we must know how to use these implements to the best advantage, how to get the greatest efficiency out of our motive power, how to feed and care for the horses and mules and how to keep the tractor in good repair. Devoted to a study of these tasks are the machinery designers and manufacturers, the farm mechanic, the horse breeder, the mule breeder, the veterinarian and the nutrition experts, all contributing the results of their investiga- tions. Even with land, machinery and motive power, however, the farm is still incomplete, as we have not yet supplied the seeds that must be sown before any crops can be produced. At this po:nt, a moment's digression will be advantageous. Many who read these lines live on farms and know how to sew seed. They know how to handle horses, hitch them prop- erly, regulate the drill and dri\e it straight across the field. But do they ever stop to think of the origin of the seed they sow? When drilling wheat, for example, do they ask themselves where that particular variety came from, how it happens to be in the drill and who is responsible for its being there? And what about the different varieties of oats, alfalfa, barley, corn; the different grasses, the choice fruits, the vegetables in the garden, the flowers in the home? Most crop-varieties of garden, field and orchard have been developed from a wild state, and the history of their develop- ment and establishment in agriculture is a wonderfully fascinat- ing story. I shall not attempt, at this time, to tell the story, but it would be well to consider the case of durum (macaroni) wheat, at least, because it is illustrative of a branch of our agricultural organization which is seldom appreciated. Durum wheat was first introduced into the United States from Russia about twenty-five years ago. It was found growing

690 IMPROVEMENT ERA there over large areas and apparently had been bred by the Rus- sians through many generations. The man who found it was one of the agricultural explorers who are sent by the United States Department of Agriculture to explore the world for crops suited to our varied conditions of soil and climate. These explorers go to China, Russia, Africa — everywhere, to the remote corners of the world — seeking seeds and plants which promise to be of some value to us. This particular explorer sent seed of durum wheat to Wash- ington. From there it was distributed to different states. Ex- perimental work with it was undertaken. It was thoroughly studied from every conceivable angle and finally found to be admirably adapted to our northern Great Plains area. Im- proved strains were developed, the supply of pure seed increased and was further distributed ; the milling and baking values were determined ; the mills, after much argument, were induced to buy durum wheat and grind it; and finally, by 1912, less than 15 years after the first introduction, the United States was produc- ing over 40,000,000 bushels of durum wheat in a region there- tofore believed to be illy suited to wheat production. Today durum wheat is accepted as one of the established crops of this country, and grown almost exclusively in some sections. This, briefly, is the story of durum wheat. I have not told of the romantic adventures of the explorer, of the difficulties encountered in getting the crop established and the unselfish service of the men who finally brought about its establishment. A book could be written on that subject alone. The story is one of adventure, romance, devotion to an ideal and valuable service to humanity. I cannot pass without saying a word about Marquis wheat, because the story of its origin so clearly illustrates still further the great work behind our common seeds. Marquis came into existence only 29 years ago. It is of hybrid origin, and was bred in Canada by Dr. Sanders of the Dominion Department of Agri- culture. For a long time, this variety showed nothing of special promise, but the breeder carried it along from year to year hop- ing it would do something worth while. Finally, after years of careful work and observation, Marquis was found to possess qualities of high value. It was mov ed westward into the Prairie Provinces, where its real value was at once apparent, and where it was soon establishhed in cultivation. The value of Marquis was generally recognized by 1912, because it had been taking prizes at many fairs and was in demand by growers the world over. It has proved to be especially well adapted to conditions in most of the wheat growing states of this country and today is more widely grown than any other variety of spring wheat. Dr.

MODERN AGRICULTURE 691 Sanders rendered a service to all the world greater than it is pos- sible to estimate. Now to return to the farm. It is not difficult to find plenty of seed of every variety of crop we desire to plant. It may be obtained at the local elevator or seed house. It is at our very door! But while it is being put into the drill, let us not lose sight of the fact that it may have been introduced from a far country; that caravans, ships and railroads helped to get it here, that investigators tested it, improved it, increased the supply of it, distributed it, co-operated in the task of getting it established and were instrumental in finally getting it to this very farm. And these things have been repeated in some degree for every crop sown. Meantime, other workers have been studying to determine ways of preventing injury to our crops by insects and diseases. They have found that smut-damage may be reduced to a mini- mum by treating wheat before seeding it. The same applies also to other crops such as oats, barley and potatoes. So we follow their advice. But let us remember, too, that they are able to offer that advice only after years of painstaking research. Our crops are up and cultivators are busy in the fields ! But it is a source of worry to find gophers, grasshoppers, cut-worms, and other pests damaging our crops. Fortunately, the biologists and entomologists have been investigating these problems and are able to offer effective remedies. We poison the gophers, grasshoppers, and cut-worms; we spray the potatoes, vegetables, and fruit trees, and, relieved of further injury from that source, our crops continue growth. Now some of these crops were planted on dry-land and others on irrigated land. Obviously, they demand somewhat dif- ferent attention; but, whatever the problem, interested and cap- able investigators are seeking its solution. The irrigation engin- eer, the soil and crop specialist, the breeders, the farm me- chanics, all are rendering invaluable service. As the season advances, we are impressed by the fact that the harvest promises to be greater than can be disposed of at a profit unless immediate and effective steps are taken with that in mind. The fruits and vegetables must be preserved and stored for winter; livestock must be purchased, barns built, silos erected — there are a hundred things to do; But, there are also effective ways of doing them. Experience and experiment, working hand in hand, are able to direct our efforts ; and winter, therefore, finds us prepared. But our livestock cannot utilize all that has been produced, and, besides, what shall be done with the stock we fatten? It

692 IMPROVEMENT ERA is plain we need a market for our produce. Here we draw on the information gained by the economists, the market specialists, those experienced in the marketing of farm produce, and all others who might be able to contribute something of value. In this connection we see, also, the need of using pure seed and pure-bred livestock, and are at once grateful to the plant breeders and the animal breeders who have made the products of their labor so readily available. Another thing that strikes us forcibly is the need of co-op- eration in social, economic and educational affairs. For our neighbors are no better off than we are. So we support the Farm Bureau, become active members, and are glad to pay our share toward the support of the County Agent and the Home Demonstration Agent, those two apparently inexhaustible sources of information and willing helpfulness. As we are an- xious to have our children understand our problems and keep informed concerning them, so that they may better carry the load that some day will be placed on their shoulders, we strength- en our schools, support the Boys' and Girl's Club work and get the benefit of the Smith-Hughes bill. We employ a good in- structor in agriculture and are glad to see our boys getting a firm grasp of the broad principles underlying the increasingly great number of agricultural problems. But where are these investigators to be found? Where are we to find these agricultural explorers, plant and animal breed- ers, farm mechanics, irrigation engineers, entomologists, path- ologists, rural economists, market specialists, farm managers, county agents, Smith-Hughes teachers, good practical farmers and other people who seem to be so essential to continued success in agriculture? It is agreed that we must have agricultural colleges where men and women may be trained in these various branches of science. We can teach them the art, but there must be insti- tutions for teaching them the science of agriculture. On the farm the boy can learn the how of agriculture; and there is no place in the world where he can learn it better than on the farm. But when it comes to the why of agriculture; he feels the need of classroom and laboratory and the association of those who know. IV We have seen that agriculture pervades every phase of indus- trial life — from the steel mill, that produces the plow beam, to the bank which cares for our pennies. And without agriculture, our whole industrial machinery would stop — railroads, steam- ships, factories, banks, grocery stores — all, would cease to func- tion.

MODERN AGRICULTURE 693 We ha\e seen also that agriculture is not confined to the farm; that it reaches, instead, into all corners of the world. Be- cause of its organization, also, it reaches into all branches of science and calls eternally for all the knowledge of which man is possessed. In place of being a tiny star, as was once supposed, agriculture, we find, is a veritable solar system. The simple fact that agriculture draws on all the sources of information, is evidence enough that it is not independent of all other modes of life. We need engineers; we need doctors; we need lawyers, and bankers, merchants, politicians, plumbers, carpenters, macliinists, teachers, journalists, artists, all. And the more proficient the men in the different professions and trades, the better will be the world — for then we shall have a better agriculture. Who Knows? What though the stars gleam varied in degree, 'Tis only we who judge them as we see, And out beyond the evening's setting sun, Where Venus rides the paling horizon, Perchance the star-dust of yon misty way Lights other worlds to yet a brighter day! What though the tasks of life seem drudgery, And hands grow worn that long for artistry; What though we age and fail while yet we climb, Who knows, perchance, in some vast wait of time, Along with deeds and heroes sanctified, Each menial task shall, too, be glorified! Mesa, Arizona. Bertha A. Kleinman.