Show rny vr ti wn on r r M Myr yr MyC rM b OW q n M S' S SY YH M. M r W f Y rt lors a z- z r t i 7 k w. w x 1 w rn a r L LM e s' s sI I American Agriculture Indebted c cr r To Abraham Lincoln More Than r Y ZT er of Our Presidents a vf p W W 9 P nm By ELMO ELl SCOTT WATSON VATSON Released by Western Newspaper Union A TALL man in rusty black arose from his chair on a flag- flag A Z draped platform and made his way awkwardly to the theL L speakers speaker's stand He seemed ill at ease as he gazed on the weathered faces of the crowd before him Then he began to speak Almost at once his self conscious ness Hess vanished His sorrowful set deep-set eyes lighted up His His His' voice warmed His hearers leaned forward to catch each word vord No other human occupation occupation tion ion he said opens so wide a field for the profitable and agreeable combination of laDor labor labor la- la bor Dor with cultivated thought as agriculture Every blade of grass is a study and to produce two where there was but Dut one is both a profit and a pleasure And not grass alone but soils seeds and seasons saving crops diseases diseases diseases dis dis- eases of crops and what will prevent and cure them hogs horses and cattle trees shrubs fruits plants and flowers each lowers each is a world of study within itself The speaker was Abraham Lin Lin- coln The time was September 30 0 1859 The place was the agricultural agricultural agricultural agri agri- cultural fair held by the Wisconsin Wiscon- Wiscon sin in State Agricultural society at Milwaukee Most Americans remember Lincoln Lincoln Lincoln Lin Lin- coln as our first martyred President President President dent as the Great Emancipator as the statesman whose principles have lave stirred men everywhere Few Tew perhaps realize what a profound profound pro- pro found influence Lincoln and his administration left on the agriculture agriculture agriculture agri agri- culture of the United States Yet all his life he was a close student of farming He knew its needs and foresaw the possibilities of its advancement as few men have done before or since And it was wasas wasas wasas as a nationally recognized representative representative representative of the farmer and the small town democracy he knew so well that he was invited to address that meeting in Mil Mil- waukee These things hing c considered red it is not surprising that in m me anguish of f the Civil war that threatened Lincoln the he nations nation's existence found time to promote the cause of agriculture and give it an impetus impetus impetus im im- im- im petus that is felt down to this day Boyhood on a Farm Abes Abe's early boyhood was spent on a farm of 30 acres near Knob creek about 10 miles northeast of his birthplace at Hodgenville Ky Because of the hills and gullies only 14 acres could be cultivated In the fall of 1816 the Lincoln family moved again this again this time across the Ohio river into the heavily timbered wilderness of southern Indiana Here they established established established es es- themselves on a knoll surrounded by marshy malaria malaria- ridden fields There was no drinking drinking drinking drink drink- ing water within a mile Although Thomas Lincoln acquired an option option option op op- op- op tion on acres to be paid for forin forin forin in installments at 2 an acre he completed payments on only half of this land The elder Lincoln continued to vary his farming and hunting by doing occasional jobs of carpentry In 1824 after the family had been in Indiana seven years the cultivated area of the farm totaled only 17 acres Thus young Lincoln as a boy of 15 was hired out to the neighbors to plow hoe corn split rails and make fences He also worked as asa asa asa a ferryman ferrym n on the Ohio river For this work his father received 6 a month During the packing hog-packing season however he received an additional 31 cents a day Once more the pushed westward This time it was early in the spring of 1830 and t the e family family family fam fam- ily trekked to the bluffs along the Sangamon river in Macon county Illinois Reaching majority majority majority ma ma- soon afterward Abraham Lincoln bade farewell to his family and began life for himself Although he left farm work behind behind behind be be- hind as a career Lincoln never ceased to interest himself in ag ag- ag- ag As a surveyor sun as postmaster postmaster postmaster post post- master and storekeeper at New Salem as a lawyer riding the court circuit around Illinois as a congressman and nd as President he continued to be a student of farming farming farming farm farm- ing and farm improvement When Lincoln entered the White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House farming was being carried on much the same as it had been in in n the past half Man and horse power were still the main reliance on the average farm although an impressive start had been made toward mechanization and improvement of farm implements It took about as long to plow a field plant a crop and cultivate it as it had taken in Revolutionary war days This was particularly true of the newer areas of settlement The reaper had been invented about 30 years before but its use was by no means universal The steel plow had been introduced in inthe inthe intile the tile late and had helped speed the opening of the newly settled West The science of soil chemistry was even more recent Although experiments in plant feeding in Europe led to the establishment establishment establishment es es- es- es of the modern fertilizer fertilizer fertilizer lizer in this country in 1850 production production production pro pro- amounted to only tons in 1860 Today American farmers use nearly tons annually Aids to Agriculture Soon after his inauguration Lincoln began throwing the weight of his influence behind measures that would strengthen 4 iru t f s1 s vi yr c I 31 JU JUSTIN TIN S. S MORRILL I the position of agriculture and promote its future growth This was wa's sound strategy in view of the impending Civil war Within a year three bills of outstanding significance had been passed These were the Act Establishing the the United States Department of Agriculture the Homestead act and the Land Grant College act Agriculture today owes a debt to the administration which sponsored sponsored sponsored spon spon- these acts The progress it has achieved in the past 75 years would never have been possible without them As early as his first message to congress in December 1861 Lincoln Lincoln Lincoln Lin Lin- coln pointed out the necessity for fora a department of agriculture Agriculture confessedly the largest interest of the nation he declared has not a department nor a bureau but a clerkship only assigned to it in this government While it is fortunate that this great interest is so independent in its nature as not to have demanded demanded demanded de de- de- de or extorted more from the government I respectfully ask congress to consider whether something more cannot be voluntarily voluntarily voluntarily volun volun- given with general tage The Act Establishing the Department Department Department De De- De- De of Agriculture was the result and in his second annual message the President was able to report To carry out the provisions of the Act of Congress of May l last I have have caused caused the Department Department Department Depart Depart- ment of Agriculture of the United States to be organized The Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Com Com- missioner informs me that within the period of a few months monthS' this department has established an extensive extensive extensive ex ex- ex- ex system of correspondence I and exchanges both at t home and abroad which promise to effect highly beneficial results in the development development development de de- de- de of a current knowledge of recent improvements of agriculture agriculture agriculture agri agri- culture in the introduction of new products and in the collection of the agricultural statistics of the different states Also it will be prepared to distribute largely seeds cereals plants and cuttings cuttings cuttings cut cut- tings and has already published and liberally diffused much valuable valuable valuable able information in anticipation of a more elaborate report which will in due time be furnished embracing embracing embracing em em- bracing some valuable tests in chemical science now in progress in the laboratory Lincoln closed his statement with the hope that the department would realize at not too distant a day all the fondest anticipations of its most sanguine friends and become the fruitful source of adv advantages advantages ad ad- v vantages to all our people How prophetic was this hope is isa isa isa a matter of history Although th the department was not represented in the cabinet with a secretary until 1889 it proved its worth im im- im- im mediately Today every farm home feels its benefits County agents everywhere assist farmers in improving their farm methods testing their soil to determine its plant food needs advising them themon on how to increase the productivity ity of their holdings The Homestead Act Another milestone in agricultural agricultural agricultural tural development was the Homestead Homestead Homestead Home Home- stead act signed by President Lincoln on May 20 1862 During the course of its operation nearly acres of public domain have been thrown open to private ate farm ownership Instead of requiring the payment payment payment pay pay- ment of or more per acre the Homestead act gave acres free to every settler who would live on it for five years Settlers Settlers Settlers Set Set- rushed into the new lands and while the Civil war was still in progress acres were thus given away This created more than farms of acres each New railroads were built to link the western farm farmlands farmlands farmlands lands with the eastern markets The new crops help helped d feed the Union armies furnish fibers and andraw andraw andraw raw materials to factories and provided an exportable surplus which built a profitable trade with Europe Most important s step ep in aiding the cause of scientific agriculture was the Morrill act or Land Grant College act named for Justin S. S Morrill representative in congress and afterwards senator senator senator sena sena- tor from Vermont Signed by President Lincoln on July 2 1862 this law gave to each state as many times acres of public land as it had senators and rep rep- This land was to provide funds for the establishment establishment establishment establish establish- ment and support of a college of agriculture and mechanical arts The flung far-flung system of agricultural agricultural agricultural tural colleges in every state of the Union today owes its existence existence existence exist exist- ence to this act These colleges are a powerful factor in discovering discover discover- ing new facts concerning the soil its needs crop and live stock improvement improvement improvement im im- provement and better farming methods Not only do these colleges colleges col col- leges educate young men to apply these facts and methods in actual farm work but agronomists and soil scientists are continually carrying carrying carrying car car- on experiments with crops soils and fertilizers in their states As a result of their work the average farmer can have the benefit of of expert and practical advice advice ad ad- vice in preparing his soil for profitable profitable profitable prof prof- crop production Many of these colleges provide pro recommendations recommendations recommendations for fertilizer grades best adapted to the needs of a farmers farmer's soils and crops after a test has established the necessity for nitrogen phosphorus and pot pot- ash contributions to the development of agriculture said an official of the Middle West Soil Improvement committee recently recently recent recent- ly stand as much a monument to his greatness as any of his other other other oth oth- er achievements during his dency It was astounding that under the stress of war and destruction destruction destruction de de- de- de he could have sponsored and supported measures that would have such epochal consequences consequences consequences conse conse- I to our development |