The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1905-06-08
HEADS NEW DEPARTMENT..

Former Dakotan Honored With Place
at Head of Department Of Farm Me.
chanics at Washington.
Much favorable comment is heard
in this state regarding the recent &C
ton of Secretary Wilson Of the nation
al department of agriculture in pre-
pairing for the establishment, under
his department, Of a bureau of farm
machinery, devoted to the study of
this important phase of agricultural
interest and the dissemination OF in
formation regarding it. The special
interest in this subject which is being
manifested in North Dakota is particu-
larly due to the. fact that in this state
some four or five years ago was or
ganized the first department pertain
ing to this subject, in connection with
an AGRICULTURAL college. Prof. G. J.
Zintheo, a graduate of the Minnesota
state university, and for several years
employed throughout this and other
countries by one of the large machln-
ery companies as a special expert, was
selected to fill the chair of this depart
ment in the North Dakota state agri-
cultural college faculty at that time,
and is very appropriately chosen as
the head of the national s~ub-depart-
ment relating to this subject by Sec
retsrv Wilson. Prof. Zintheo was
elected in 1903 to fill a chair in the
same line of research at the state ag-
ricultural college and experiment sta
ton at Ames, Iowa, where he now re-
sides. He will leave at an early date
for Washington, to take up the duties
Of his present office.
The Importance of the work falling
under the division of farm engineering
and farm mechanics is now fully rec
ognized by the agricultural depart
ment. The significance of the work
was carefully pointed out by the Sec
rotary in a recent report to congress,
and that body accordingly made the
study Of power and appliances for agri-
cultural purposes a part of the work
of the irrigation and drainage division
Of the office of experiment stations.
In this extension of the departments
work the secretary is following the
lead of European governments. Swe-
do, o-l no~r,or1. rooipfoin cfofiNno
for the investigation of farm imple-
ments. The agricultural society of
Germany has been conducting field
trials with both domestic and foreign
agricultural implements, and has dis
tributed the Information obtained
among the farmers. Belgium and Italy
are carrying on farm machinery inyes-
LEGATIONS and ~instructing their agri-
cultural students in the proper use of
farm implements. At the agricultural
college of Russia the students are
judging the merits of farm machinery
very much after the plan in vogue in
our American agricultural colleges OF
judging cattle.
Under Prof. Zintheo the agricultural
department will take up experiments
with farm motors to determine the
cheapest motive power for farm pur-
poses. Tests will be made with the
new gas producer gas engines to deter
mine now cheaply power may be pro-
duced from Ignite coal in the Ignite
fields of North Dakota, and thus obtain
a substitute for gasoline.
Experiments will also be conducted
with "denaturalized" alcohol, produced
from potatoes and waste products OF
the western farms, to be used as fuel
for farm motors in Colorado and else
where.
Cement and concrete for farm build.
ing purposes will be experimental
with to determine their efficiency and
cost as compared with lumber, which
is constantly increasing in price.
A bulletin on corr harvesting ma
chinery will be issued in the near fu-
ture.