No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 58? 



sources of further infection; and the disinfection of wounds, and 

 along with these some missionary work to induce our neighbors to 

 follow our example ; and elfort on the part of all to put out of exist- 

 ence the worthless wayside trees that so often carry over such 

 pests from season to season. 



THE KELATION OF THE SOIL TO PLANT LIFE AND THE 

 VALUE OF TILLAGE FOR ORCHARD DEVELOPMENT 



By GEORGE T. POWELL 



On the subject for discussion this evening, ''The Relation of the Soil 

 to Plant Life," practically depends the continuance of our entire 

 work. As a nation, we have enjoyed for a period of perhaps two 

 hundred years, the greatest prosperity. We have been the best fed 

 nation in the world during this time, and have accumulated great 

 wealth. In fact, we have, as a nation, accumulated in the last three 

 centuries, greater wealth than has England during two thousand 

 years. How has this been accomplished? Simply because we have 

 been given a soil richer than any other in the world, and we have 

 been taking the wealth out of it and using it to build up our great 

 nation. In the past three of four years, there has come over our 

 nation a surprise in the unexepected and sudden rise in the cost 

 of liWng. It has affected our entire population, especially that por- 

 tion of it living in our large cities. The country has been drained 

 of its population, and millions are congregated in cities, and we 

 are now confronted with this problem of the cost of living, which 

 has ranged uj^ward from 30 per cent, to 300 per cent. Now 

 we are confronted with the problem of giving back to the soil the 

 fertility which we have been taking out of it for more than two 

 hundred years. We have been taking out and putting nothing back 

 to replace the plant food that is necessary to retain the fertility 

 of the soil. We are now to meet the problem of the depletion of 

 our soil, while our yields per acre must be increased. In the past 

 two centuries we have increased our yield of wheat per acre but 

 two or three bushels; England has far exceeded us in that respect. 

 In England, the average yield per acre is thirty-four bushels, while 

 in this country it is but fourteen and a half. We have been increas- 

 ing population but nowhere have we correspondingly increased in 

 production. As I said to-day, we find millions of people unable 

 to eat apples, because of the exorbitant prices demanded for them. 



Another point I wish to speak of, is the reckless destruction of 

 our forest lands. We have swept across our great continent, and 

 cut away our great forests until we have subjected our soil to the 

 dryness that comes to a soil denuded of its trees. Not only is our 

 soil becoming depleted, but there are places where our water supply 

 is becoming exhausted. The last year has been remarkable for the 

 depletion of our water supply. Many of our large cities, especially 



