Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1905-08-25
PREPARING FOR
FARMERS INSTITUTES
II Is Expected That the Meetings
Will Prove Profitable to
Farmers.

Arrangements have been perfected
by Dr. James Whithycombe, director
Of the State Agricultural College, for
holding five farmers institutes In
Southern Oregon during September.
The places selected are Grants Pass,
Kerby and Provolt in Josephine
county and Jacksonville and Eagle
Point in jackson county.
The first institute will be held at
Grants Pass on Saturday. September
8, and there will be forenoon. after.
noon and evening sessions. Sunday
the professors and other speakers
will go to Central Point, where they
will go by team to Eagle Point
Monday the institute for Eagle Point
will be held with sessions in the
forenoon. afternoon and evening.
Tuesday will be spent by the institute
workers iD examining the soils, crops
and the methods Of cultivation on
such farms as will be passed In the
drive from Eagle Point TO Jackson.
Vile, by the way Of Medf, rd where
dinner will be taken. At Jackson
Vile an evening session will be held
Tuesday and forenoon and afternoon
sessions Wednesday. Thursday morn.
ing the O'Clock tain will be taken
at Medford for Gra' Is Pass and the
party will drive to Proyolt, where
forenoon and evening sessions will be
held. these sessions will b. held In
the new church building, built and
owned by Rev. H. Badger, Of that
place, who generously offered the use
OF the building free Of charge for the
institute. Friday will be spent In
making the drive to Korby and in
examining soils, crops and farm
methods that may be seen by the way
Saturday, September 10, the Kerby
institute of forenoon, afternoon aud
evening sessions will bo held.
The itinerary has been so arranged
that 1t will allow n full day in Jack.
son county to the college professors
and the other specialists on agrioul.
tural interests, to carefully examine
the character of the various soils the
kinds and conditions of crops grown
and the methods that are employed
by the farmers In carrying on their
farm operations. A full day will
also be had in Josephine county to
note thu soil, crops and method that
govern the agricultural capabilities
of this county. 1bis feature of the |
trip to Southern Oregon will be OF |
much value to the Agricultural !
College professors in enabling them
to more fully study the characteristics
OF tho soils, and the crop produced,
also the methods that are employed
by the farmers In their farming
operations With this knowledge
they will be better able TO tell the
farmers Of Southern Oregon wherein
they can improve their methods of
farming by selecting crops that are
best adapted to certain soils and 10y
adopting system of cultivation that
will he suited to this slmi.arid
region. Many of the farmers of
Rogue River Valley are from the
Eastern aud Middle states whore
totally different climate, soil aud
crops obtain, yet 80 many of these
new settlers attempt to farm as they
1id in the States. In planting fruit
trees they too often select the
varieties that grew aud sold we'll in
illinois or Missouri, not investigating
the variety was productive
,nd profitable In oultivating their
,rops the same inclination to stick to
heir Eastern meth ds is too often
lone. For Instance there AN acre
" pota oes on Rogue river farm
iot far from Grants Pas hat was
evidently cultivated by former
Iowa, or Illinois farmer by the wet
aud method he employed for he has
-idged out the potatoes ds is done in
he wet, fiat lands OF the prairie
tates The result is the sun aud ind
las 50 dried out the ground that the (
'otato vines are but from eight to 10
nches high and the POTATOES are
likely the size Of marbles Had this \
armer been posted ON dry land farm.
ng he would nave planted his a
,otatoes in the trenches, gradually O