The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-02
COST OF FARMING
State Experiment Station Seeks to
Solve Some Problems.
PROF. HAYS ELABORATE SCHEME
How It's Execution Will Benefit the
State and Prospective
Farmers. rs.,e

Dispatches from Halsted, Mimi, printed
in a certain Sunday paper, said that the
state experimental station had arranged
to establish a branch farm at Halsted.
Professor w. NJ. Hays of the experimental
station says the statement is somewhat
misleading and that the state already,
has an experiment station in each OF the
four corners of the state. The work at
Halsted is> merely for the gathering OF
statistics to supplement the experiments
with field crops and stock at the univer-
sity farm and at the Polk and Lyon
county experiment farms. At Northteld,
at Marshall and at Halsted, or at other
suitable points, it is designed to establish
three statistical routes. The statistical
division Of the national department
OF agriculture and the Minnesota
experiment station are entering into CO.
operation upon this new line Of statistical
work. Professor Hays having been placed
in immediate charge. - J.
Three young men from the college of
agriculture have been chosen to take the
three statistical routes and they have
been installed. E. G. Parker has been
assigned to the Mortified route, and
agreements with farmers to aid have been
secured. H. H. Mowry will take the route
in the Red River valley and H. S. Krum
will 60 to the southwestern route. ..ti
Each man will traverse his route daily,
except Sunday, for an entire year. He Will
keep a detailed account of each of
dozen well-managed farms. A plat will
be made of each farm, and each held Will
be known by name or number so that
the number of man hours and horse-hou
put on each crop may be recorded. The
labor required for each class or lot OF
live stock will also be recorded, and with
few farms where the owners care for
complete financial accounting in their
business a cash account and a complete
set Of books will be kept. At the end OF
the year the national department. of agri-
culture and the Minnesota experiment
station will Jointly publish the results,
showing the labor required to grow each
crop,-wheat, corn, clover, potatoes, etc.,
and the amount Of labor expended in car
ing for each class of live stock; also such
other data concerning the cost OF farm
production. .i~t.'..
These data are being sought primarily
| to be used in connection with the many
experiments in field tand farm manage
| ment at the university farm and at the
! three branch farms.
Experiments planned to run twenty years
| or more before final results are reached
| naturally do not arouse much public inter-
est during the first ten years of their
| course. Many Of the 200 or 300 little
! fields or plots in use will soon have been
|
preliminary reports are to be made.
These experiments cover crop rotation,
| grain farming, stock farming, growing
crops for dairy stock, pastures, forage
crops, weed destruction cultivation, con-
servation Of soil moisture and good
! farming generally.
! The results already obtained are prov
! ing very useful in the classes at the
school of agriculture. In fact, the lack
| of definite. information which could be
utilized in building up class work for boys
who are to return to the farm led Pro-
fessor Hays to plan these comprehensive
! lines of scientific research. Statistician
| Hyde and Secretary Wilson have given
recognition to this line Of work in the
past to encourage the effort of the Min
nesota experiment station to devise a
| system for farm management, and to re-
duce instruction along this line to peda-
gogical form. Secretary Wilson,, in en-
bracing every opportunity to encourage
and Cooperate with the various state
| experiment stations, is widening the inf1u-
ence of his department and aiding the
state experiment stations and schools Of
agriculture to be of more direct ane
practical benefit to the farmers Of the
country.