vested $13 billion. Until we can re
duce such losses, scientific crop
control might as well be done by
flipping a coin.
The farmer thinks part of the so
lution is in crops and stock with
built-in resistance to natural haz
ards. A few toughened plants and
animals already exist. New tobaccos,
for example, fight off five of the
worst crop diseases, and certain
wheat varieties now resist stem rust.
Hardier breeds can even foil the
predatory insect; that villain of the
Midwest, the corn borer, is expected
to be conquered within 10 years by
inbred resistance.
Some farms already are using disease-hardened
strains of poultry;
the next step, experimenters believe,
is to develop livestock impervious to
common ailments.
When tomorrow's farmer plants
his new crops he will be fighting still
another scourge of agriculture
drought. The improved plants will
require less moisture and will make
better use of it in critical stages of
growth. To provide moisture, the
farmer will reclaim brackish water
with an electric ion-changing device
which removes salty impurities. Or,
after a rain, he may take a spray
gun and cover his fields with an or
ganic chemical which seals in mois
ture. His pond already will be lined
with plastic to control drainage and
reduce polluting growth.
Saving crops will be just a part of
our future farmer's job. He also
will have to produce more per acre
and spend less time doing it. That
means he'll need a lot of help from
that handyman, modern science.
By 1977, for example, research will
Promising experiment, using
sun's rays to heat grain, may
be replacement for heaters.
Growth stimulators make
plants grow 3 to 5 times faster,
may move crops northward.
Sturdy dwarf corn, grown close k
to ground, is one of many new"
experimental crop varieties.
have developed crops with greater
concentrated yields. The farmer will
average 100 bushels per acre of
newly bred corn (last year's yield
was 45 bushels) and will look for
ward to hybrids that bring as much
as 200 bushels.
Improved machinery will save
valuable time in producing these in
tensified crops. One unit will plant,
fertilize, and spray insect killer in a
single trip over the field then be
adjusted to handle other farm jobs.
Future crops will be bred especially
for the machine age. Today's corn,
for example, was bred with ears at
uniform height to facilitate harvest
ing; other crops also are being "tailor-made"
to fit the specifications of
all-purpose machines.
The dairy farmer will save time
by shipping milk through a pipeline
direct from barn to supply depot.
And rather than inject cattle indi
vidually with vaccines, the fanner
will spray live virus into an enclosed
area and immunize his entire stock
against a variety of diseases.
Pigs will not be raised they will
be mass-produced in hatcheries as
poultry is today. To get into initial
production, the farmer will order
"piglets" by the crate, eliminating
those long, late hours attending un
predictable births. He will place pigs
in concrete lots because land is too
valuable for pasture. The hatchery
will be air conditioned, to assure top
weight gains in hot weather, and
completely sanitized to reduce the
risk of disease.
Automation will be as much a part
of tomorrow's farm as of tomorrow's
factory. Automatic timing devices,
for instance, will feed and water
livestock and control the flow of ir
rigation. Along with other new tech
niques and machines, automation
will drastically reduce chores which
now take one-third of the farmer's
day, allowing more time for manage
ment, sowing, and reaping.
Most of the changes on our farms
will be startling only to the
city dweller. The farmer knows that
the "agricultural revolution" has
been going on for decades and that
the important change of the future
will be the widespread application
of techniques already familiar to
laboratories and experimental farms.
One aspect of current research
could bring radical developments,
however. Atomic energy has been
suggested for everything from trac
ing secret growth processes to pow
ering gigantic irrigation projects.
But the atom's real value must still
be determined, and several experts
have pointed out that we must solve
the current surplus problem before
further accelerating agriculture with
nuclear energy.
They would prefer that research
ers devote themselves less to atomic
farming and more to discovering
new uses for products we already
grow but cannot consume. Can new
textiles or plastics be derived from
our surpluses? What industrial and
commercial developments will help
farm markets keep pace with farm
production?
No amount of research, of course,
can assure the American farmer a
trouble-free tomorrow. Yet increas
ing knowledge and broadening ex
periments will help him meet the
future successfully and profitably
in making his indispensable con
tribution to America's well-being.
Family Weekly, July 21, 1957 9
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