Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-01-25
Prof. Hansen's Explorations.


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Prof. Hansen's Explorations.
In recent Issue we referred to the
work done by Professor Hansen as
agent for the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture in exploring the
colder and drier regions of the old
world for plants adapted to western
agricultural conditions. In recent
issue of the Record Herald VIM. E.
| Curtis prints an interview with Secre-
tary Wilson in which the latter tells
at some length Of the work Professor
Hansen has done. We make excerpts
from this interview, as follows:
Cup in the middle of northern Asia
which is called "The Roof of the
| World,' the people have been success
| fully culUivating many plants under
similar conditions and in similar SOIL
So l sent Professor Hansen of the
| University of South Dakota over to
hunt for such as are suitable for our
semi-arid belt and will rotate with
durum wheat all the way from the
Panhandle to Alaska. He has been
three times in Russia and twice in
Siberia. His first trip was made in
1894 for study. The Department of
Agriculture sent him over in 1897 on
plant hunting expedition, and he
brought back some very important
samples. 1 sent him again this year
| and he has just returned with three
kinds of alfalfa-two that will grow
in dry soil with light rainfall and in
tense cold, and one that will grow in
the woods. They are entirely new
varieties, but have been grown on the
cold, dry steppes of northern Asia for
centuries. They have yellow flower
while our alfalfa has blue flower.
Professor Hansen will take the seeds
out to South Dakota, plant them and
cultivate them so as to get the largest
possible yield, and then we will dis
tribute seed among the farmers of the
arid belt to use as a complement to
wheat, as rotating crop, and we hope
they will do the Business and enable
the people of the1dry belt to make
crop every year.
''In addition to this hardy alfalfa"
continued Secretary Wilson, she
brought back several new species of
clover, with which the natives of
northern Siberia fatten their stock
and make hay. 1t grows in the cold
est regions in short summer, with
very little rainfall, and we hope that
it will do as well on this side Of tho
world under similar conditions.
Congress has passed an alcohol
law" continued the secretary, Sin
anticipation of the time when our peo-
pie will have to go to the fields for
light and power, and it was up to the
Agricultural Department to provide
them with the best plants in exist
ence to make alcohol from. Professor
Hansen was on the lookout for such
things also. He Investigated the
! alcohol business in the countries he
visited and brought home seventeen
barrels Of what are called alcohol
potatoes, which will grow in dry
ground and turn out 500 or 600 bushels
to the acre. They aresfull of alcohol,
and are also very valuable for fatten-
ing stock, but they have coarse fiber
and are not delicate enough for table
use. We'expect to introduce those
potatoes among the farmers of the
United States and make 500 gallons
of alcoho! AN acre from them. The
potatoes are now on their way from
New York, and as soon as they arrive
we propose to distribute them among
the experiment stations throughout
the United States to be planted next
spring.
Professor Hansen brought back
several other interesting and valuable
plants, but these are the things / sent
him for, and he brought them. Han
sen is man who does things. He is
an intelligent, intrepid fellow full of
resources, and nothing stops him.
When he sees ANYTHING of value he
knows it, and when he goes after
anything he gets it. Up at Tomsk,
in eastern Siberia, he was unable to
find any clover seed, SO he went out
and bought a load of hay in the mar
ket and hired men to pick the seed
out of 1t.
Professor Hansen was born in 1866
near the little town of Ribe, Denmark,
where his grandfather held the same
Office for fifty-three years, and the
king decorated him with the order of
the 'Dannebrog' in recognition of his
services. Hansen's father was an
artist, who came over to this country
with his family and settled in Des
Moines in 1876. When he was boy
| fifteen years old Hansen got a place
under Representative Hull, who was
then secretary OF state for Iowa, and
saved enough money to take him
through the Agricultural College at
Ames, where he graduated in 1887.
He intended to be an editor, but after
hearing Professor Budd lecture two
! or three times, he decided to be a