128 HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 
point we got these organisms [indicating] it will supplement this rota. 
tion proposed and enable us to keep the fertility of the soils up toa 
much higher standard automatically than has ever been possible before, 
or ever would be possible, depending entirely upon leguminous crops 
as renovators, because as production in certain cases becomes more 
intense and the demands for food crops become greater we are not 
going to be able to drop out wheat every other year; we can not put it 
in every fourth year; we have gotten larger areas and more acres of 
our cotton soil or our wheat soil, and we have to grow wheat or cotton 
a good many years year after year. 
Mr. Bowis. That is one of the problems that is confronting the 
cotton planter in the South. 
Mr. Woops. We are going to run the limit of the possibility of 
rotation, and when we reach that we have to supplement the nitrogen 
in the soil by such means as this, and when that time comes—it may 
not come in our day, but when it does—we want to be able to use these 
organisms. 
The CHarrman. Has it come anywhere? 
Mr. Woops. Yes, it has come in a great many countries. Over 
nine of the European countries, fully nine of the European countries, 
can not produce more than half enough food for their inhabitants; 
they have to depend on the United States and Russia and other coun- 
tries that. produce the food of the world. And the time is coming 
when a great many other countries will be in the same situation. 
Mr. Grarr. What are those nine countries? 
Mr. Woops. I do not know that I can name them all. England, 
Holland, Belgium, and—- 
The Cuarrman. The thickly populated countries? 
Mr. Woops. Yes. When their population gets above 200 to the 
square mile or something like that they begin to find it is impossible 
to produce enough food, even with the most intense cultivation, even 
producing 25 bushels of wheat to the acre. 
Mr. Scorr. I do not think that you exactly understood the chair- 
man’s question. I donot think he asked whether there are any countries 
that do not produce sufficient food for their own people, but whether 
the time has come when the soil has become so exhausted that this 
nitrogen has to be supplied by other means than through the rotation 
of crops. Was that the question? 
The Cuatrman. Yes, that was my question. 
Mr. Woops. I do not think that time has come. It is possibly true 
in England and Belgium. 
Mr. Stintman. They have to use the nitrate fertilizers? 
Mr. Woops. Yes; and the barnyard manure, such things as that; 
but they practice the most rigid rotations. But you can see what the 
possibilities even there would be if we can get rid of the necessity of 
rotation and keep the fertility of thesoil up. If we could do that they 
could produce a much larger amount than they do. 
Mr. Bowrs. Would certain things you would not produce be the 
things that you have rotated with? 
Mr. Woops. You would keep the nitrogen of the soil up even by 
continual cropping of one crop. 
The Cruarrman. Their rotation of certain crops is necessary for 
feeding the people. 
Mr. Bow1s. You rotate for other purposes than for fertilization? 
