The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-09-17
THE FARMERS INSTITUTE
By sEYMouR w. ooNpoN.


"True and genuine life sweet and
honorable repose." That is the way
Pliny, the Roman lawyer, in a letter
to his friend, referred to his life on his
country estate.
Wine Salmon has just had its first
farmers institute. The attendance was
limited, owing, no doubt, to the fact
that farmers are inclined to look upon
all professional men, including profes-
sors Of agricultural colleges, as theorists
who fatten and get sleek off ''us pro-
ducers." Closer contact and better
acquaintance change all this, and the
producer comes to grasp the hand of
the man who studies to make farming
"A practical science, and who holds up
before the farmer ideals based on eco
nomic facts demonstrated by actual
contact with our soils Success, meas
ured by net profits per acre and homes
of comfort and contentment, dignifies
the vocation of the farmer.
Sessions were held Wednesday and
Thursday, September and TO- Mr..
Olsen of Husum was selected chair
man. f. Il. Elliot, professor of agri-
culture and state superintendent of
farmers institutes, made very witty
and clear statement of the purposes of
the institute work, and the programme
was at once taken up. Professor Elliot
frankly tells the farmers that while the
dairy interests Of the Northwest have
shown a marked development, horti-
cultural interests, except in very few
localities, are at a very low ebh, insect
pests and plant diseases being rife. 1t
is, he says, the work of the college of
agriculture to carry on experimental
work studying soils, climatic condi-
tions and the adaptation of varieties to
them.
The institute was blessed with Smiths.
Our own L. L. Smith, whose name and
work is part of the history of the new
era in fruit growing in Oregon and
Washington, was there-a sample Of
man we're proud to claim as our own.
Then we had an imported Smith--C. l..
Smith, ex-dairy commissioner of Min
nesota--one who, like the hen on n
eggs, is so choek full of experience and
observation that it sticks out of his
eyes, darts from his finger tips and
electrifies his iron-gray locks. The
Minnesota Smith gave the first lecture
at the institute, and our Il. L. Smith
of Hood River closed it with an inn
promptu appeal that quickened the
pulse of every grower who heard 1t.
The Minnesota Smith carries heavy
guns on superimposed turrets; his arm
movement and foot work would make
a modern prize-fighter envious. He
wades right into his subject and into
his audience. He abuses the farmer
for his negligence and cussedness and
gives him overwhelming proof of both.
He deals in cold facts and shows what
the farm and the orchard and garden
will do under the touch of intelligence
aud energy and thrift. He opened the
programme with talk on farming in
general. Said that the prime object of
horticulture or dairying is home build
ing, making them contribute to the
home life rather than sacrifice or
neglect of the home and family in the
contest tor dollars. Told of a MissOu-
rian who was going to buy 100 acres
more land to add to his already large
and badly-managed ranch so that he
could raise more corn to feed more
hogs to get more pork TO sell for more
money to buy more land to raise more
corn to feed more hogs to get more pork
TO sell for more money to buy more
land to raise more corn to feed more
hogs, etc.--a two-iegged hog, you see.
lie averred that single-crop farm
knows no home life, no fireside COM
forts. A few cows, he said; properly
cared for, insures a systematic return
at short intervals which was more de-
sirable than larger income once "A
year. lie declared the COW TO be an
important and profitable factor in home
building. A poor COW with the best of
care and food is poor property, and Il
good cow with poor care or feed is not
much better.
The speaker said that conditions are
never so hard but that some man is al.
ways found TO succeed, and what one
man can do in the same way others
can do under like conditions. Some
men pound cow over the back with
the milking stool and then growl at
the size of their creamery check.
The speaker said that he would only
use commercial fertilizer as he would
medicine, use it when you have TO, and
quit Just rs soon as you can. He pre-
terred cows, horses, pigs or chickens as
fertilizer factories at home. IF you
have but three acres, better devote one
TO manure production rather than try
e. use all three 10y feeding commercial
fertilizer. Commercial fertilizer does
not provide humus One ton of wheat
fed To chickens will do better for land
than the amount of commercial fertil-
izer that the price OF one ton of wheat
would buy. Keep your manure under
a shed and keep IL in Hat pile Prof
its are kept down by loss of by-prOducls.
Waste on the farm Is apparent every
where. Speaking Of the value of the
hog as a means of turning waste ma
terial Into profit he said, "Sell your
hog amy time when it weighs 100
pounds cost of adding weight beyond
that limit Increases rapidly.n
Professor W. II. Lawrence followed
on plant Diseases lie is the "bug'
man, aud what he don't know abo II