96 THE FOOD CRISIS AND AMERICANISM 



extended discussion of this phase of the subject is not 

 permissible in this volume. I would, therefore, refer 

 the reader to " Soil Fertility and Permanent Agricul- 

 ture," by Professor Cyril G. Hopkins, to whom I am 

 indebted for much scientific data, including some of 

 the tables herein. 



In other directions, the Department of Agriculture 

 and these Agricultural Institutions are derelict. Why 

 has there not been a loud-voiced protest from these 

 institutions, whose business it was to know the soil 

 needs, to Congress against the enormous waste of ma- 

 nure at the Stock Yards in our packing centers? 

 Hundreds of thousands of tons of the best possible 

 manure, at all of these Stock Yards, are annually al- 

 lowed to waste in the sun and rain, and to be washed 

 into specially constructed sewers, and to be burned in 

 incinerators built for that purpose. None of this 

 should be wasted. While one for years has been able 

 to secure freight rates on commercial fertilizers to 

 the most obscure station, at many stations in the vicin- 

 ities of the packing centers, it is impossible to secure 

 any rates at all on stock yard manures. If to any, 

 usually at rates that are prohibitive. As the first 

 profits from an increased tonnage of grain and other 

 food stuffs goes to the transportation companies 

 ( freight rates must be deducted before a dollar is paid 

 on any commodity), they can afford to make an ex- 

 ceedingly low rate on transporting this much needed 

 fertilizer to the farming communities, and now that 

 our Government is operating the railroads, I see no 

 reason why a movement in this direction should not 



