Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-16
STRENGTHEN THE EXPERIMENT
STATION.

Farmer and Breeder.-The general
government appropriates $4,000 each
year to the respective states for the
purpose of experiments in agriculture.
Representative Adams, of Wisconsin,
has recently introduced a bill in congress
which will be Of interest to the farmers
of the country. 1t provides that the
sum Of $4,000 be appropriated in 1905
and increased $4,000 annually until the
total amounts to $4,000 This would
make 100000 annually to each expert
ment station besides state appropria-
tions. This would be. q great advan-
tage to the stations and through them
to the people at large for increased
agricultural products produce busi-
ness for all other lines No money ap>
propriated by nation or state is more
productive Of prosperity than that
used by the stations Some of the
busiest, hardest working men we ever
saw met last year in connection with
some of the experiment stations. We
saw one Of the younger professors at
one of the colleges in connection with
the experiment station decline an APP
1 pointment elsewhere at considerable
| advance in pay, for no reason whatever
| but that he was interested in his
work where he was. We mention this
simply to note that the college teach
ers and experiments are very much
| in earnest in the work they are doing
and that the money they get is being
used with economy.
In the south perhaps the most won
derful work has been done. The gair
to the state of Tennessee for instance
by the work of Professor Soule a.
Knoxville is beyond comparison. HI
has gone to Virginia, but others will
carry on the work on lines alread.
started. New crops have been intro
1 duced. Leguminous crops tested, al
falfa bacteria discovered and infornla
ton disseminated, methods Of combat
| Ing insect and other pests, improved
varieties Of grain cultivated and dis
4 tributed better seed and better cultur,
| insisted upon as necessities to profit
feeds and methods Of feeding TESTED
and information of all sorts spread tt
the public in general
| The incubation Of cattle as pre-
ventive to Texas fever has been {
| wonderful help In the Improvement o
southern cattle and has evidenced tn
market for the breeder north of tn
i quarantine line. Quite a number o
pure bred cattle have been sold from
north Of the line that would not hay
i found customers there otherwise.
i The work of such men as Curtis an,
! Holden of Iowa, Henry of Wisconsin
Hays of Minnesota, now in Washing
1 ton and scores of others in connection
with the agriculture colleges and ex
Il pertinent stations is beyond the powe
OF dollars to repay. The most promi
. nent failure in the work In these sta
tons Is in the people not applying 70
the bulletins. Although thousands ap
4 ply, more thousands Of farmers VIII
should, do not apply for the bulletins
Each state makes experiments alon
u lines adapted to the needs of the stat
4 and in several Of the states sub-sta
lions are maintained. Iowa is utiliz
ing many of the county poor farms 1
this way
d There are over $4,O0O,00O invested L
station farms, equipment and building
and 100000 people regularly receiv
bulletins. Besides this the Unite
States department spends some Sc,
4 100000 largely in connection with tn