THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 423 



The government wisely determined to revive agriculture and apply 

 scientific methods. It tried various means to that end, but vs^ith 

 little success. It finally sent out the trained farm demonstrator 

 (just as provided in the Lever bill). This did the business and 

 brought Denmark from poverty to thrift. It doubled the land 

 values; it quadrupled the savings banks deposits; it made Denmark 

 a happy, prosperous nation. It sent the people from the cities back 

 to the farm, and Denmark to-day is the finest agricultural country 

 in the world." 



Dr. Hopkins, a gentleman we all know% demonstrated in southern 

 Illinois by the use of one dollar and a half's worth of phosphates. He 

 uses the word "phosphates," we use the word "superphosphates" — 

 means about the same thing. He spent one dollar and a half per acre 

 and raised a production of corn from sixteen to twenty bushels to the 

 acre to fifty bushels to the acre, at an expense of a dollar and a half per 

 acre. Think of that. Well, now, I want you to take an interest in this 

 Lever bill. It is worthy of our consideration and some of the best men in 

 the country are back of it — business men as well as farmers. Because it 

 is w^orthy of consideration, when it gives you fifty bushels instead of six- 

 teen, then they will have some business. There are still some of these 

 men, however, who are deeply interested in having their country grow 

 instead of becoming rich solely for their own pocketbooks. 



Now as the doctor's paper was very plain, I can simply modify a few 

 points that he made. I was surprised myself when I got one of these soil 

 testers and I think all should have one. It is a time saver. I can go out 

 in my orchard and find results which I did not know existed and I expect 

 most of you would also be surprised, because you can only imagine that 

 your piece of land is the best piece of land in all that locality. Every 

 fellow has the best farm, you know. Well, this soil tester is a wonderful 

 thing ; your ground may look well on the surface, but go down, dig down 

 a little here and there and you will be surprised, and the result is, of 

 course, it informs you of the real condition of your soil and therefore you 

 know how to treat it. That is the idea. Now, of course, we wish we 

 might have this state analysis of soil, because we have got absolutely to 

 put our farming down upon a more scientific basis. We have got to 

 know better what we are doing. We are spending a lot of money, and 

 we have got to know whether we are doing the right thing. Get results. 

 I might get better if I only knew how, but I don 't know, and so I do the 

 best I can. 



About the alfalfa proposition, doctor, I think you would have trouble 

 dow^n in our country' any M^ay in getting men to grow alfalfa and put- 

 ting it in. the ground, plowing it under as a cover crop and letting it 

 stay there, when you can put it on the market and get sixteen and 

 eighteen dollars a ton. Too much money in sight to convert alfalfa into 

 fertilizer for the orchards, and of course I don 't grow it in my orchard. 

 Another thing, growing it in an orchard, it makes fine feed for the 

 gophers. Don't think it a good idea. Now, of course, in some localities 



