Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-04-16
HAMPERED BY Low
APPROPRIATION
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE NOT AL
LOWED SUFFICIENT SUM FOR
EXTENSION WORK.
PRISON BINDER TWINE

Iowa Legislature Will Use Minnesota
| Report to Explain Votes Against De-
feated Bill--May Come Again Next
| Year.
Des Noises Bureau Of
The Ottumwa Courier,
Dies Moines, April 10.
The legislature gave to the college
authorities at Ames SGT 900 for use in
agricultural extension work. A vest
" larger sum could well have been
used in this work.
Prof Holden was in this city on his
way to the southern part of the state
to arrange for experimental work on
county farms. There are two ways
in which this extension work is being
carried on" he said "In the conduct
Of short courses of study and in exper
iment work on county farms. Last
winter we had short courses at four
places-Mt. Pleasant. Red Oak, Lenox
and Bedford. aside from Ames. Now
we have applications for these short
in the state. We have agreed to go
to Marshalttown, Manchester, Storm
Lake and some other places. Cedar
Rapids is insisting we have short
course there. The demand is so great
we will have to organize at least two
complete corps Of instructors and then
will not be able to do half what we
should do.
Holden Gives Plans.
"Just now we are interested in the
farm experiment work. We have done
lot Of talking about these things,
but the way to convince the people is
to demonstrate what we say. Last
year we conducted experimental work
on the county farms in Sioux, Kossuth
'ckasaw, Greene, Story, Marshall,
Polk, Taylor, Mills and Montgomery
counties This year we add Cedar
and others. What we do Is this-we
go to the county at seeding time, take
from the seed boxes on the planters
of 100 farmers samples of the seed
corn they are actually planting, plant
it on the county farm, three rows Of
one mans seed, then three of another
and SO, all plaialy marked, repeating
the three rows three times, giving all
the same ordinary cultivation At corn
gathering time have picnic where
everybody can see what the results
are. Do we find difference in the re-
suits? Well, yes; the difference Is
often SO amazing that farmers say
they would never have believed 1t had
they not been able to see for them
selves.
| Take Taylor county for a sample.
for 1t is perhaps an average. The best
| 49,. ;n11 ehalo
acre; the lowest ten so bushels per
acre. There was 100000 acres of corn
in the county. If ten per cent of that
corn averaged as low as ten per cent
of the samples, and we could by seed
selection have made it as good as the
best, we would have added 100000
bushels to the crop Of the county.
These are results that tell.
| II only wish we could do this ex-
perlmenta work in every county, not
only with seed corn, and other crops,
but with alfalfa and with milking ma
chimes and testing fence posts and in
a score of ways
To Exseam Votes.
| Iowa legislators are preparing to
use the report Of the Minnesota Board
of Control on prison made binder
Irvine to strengthen their position with
their constituents and explain their
votes against the bill to manufacture
binder Irvine in the Anamosa peniten-
tiary. The Minnesota legislature has
found it necessary to change it's plans
and a bill has been passed by the legis-
lature this year which instead of sell
Ing to the farmers direct, sells to the
dealers and the dealers are allowed to
sell to the farmers. 1t has been found
by experience in Minnesota that the
other plan. which was the plan propos-
ed in the bill introduced in the Iowa
legislature, was not altogether sue
cess. The farmers. Furthermore dis
liked the trouble of sending the cash
to the prison for the goods and find it
much more convenient to pay a little
profit to the dealers and get the Irvine
when they want it.
The reports Of the Minnesota board
of control shows that there was sold
during the year 1906 total of 1871
$50 pounds of binder Irvine from the
tributed as follows:
To Dealers Clubs ;. ). ...3,71e, 705.
To Farmers Clubs 49,. 80. 5,7S8,990
To Dealers >. ....1, 94S, LOS
Cash Orders J. ......1, S63,250
Shipped out of state north. J.. $4,000
Total J. ;. 80. ;. $50. 3,371 ,050
New Plan in Minnesota.
Under the new law that was passed
by the 1907 Minnesota legislature the
dealers over the state will have an
opportunity to take the great bulk of
the output Of the factory and the board
of control will reserve only 100000
pounds to sell direct to the farmers.
The dealers are to be allowed to make
a profit of one to one and half cents
pound on the twine
In Minnesota the plan seems to be
to require cash from all single orders
but where clubs are formed either Of
dealers or farmers, where the state au-
thorities are given an opportunity to
investigate their reliability, Irvine can
be shipped without the cash. That the