The weekly herald. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 1906-19??, 1907-04-18

so we kept that going for year
more in order to get better established
here and also that we might give
things a three-year test there.
The Amarillo Station.
In the spring Of 1905 you and your
friends offered the department vari-
GUS inducements to start our farm
here Finally Mr.. Lee Bivins came
forward with 100 acres of land Just
west of the town for the site, and
the arrangements were completed.
! should state here that this work
which we contemplated was not to be
supported by the state OF Texas and
therefore the National government
could not make the thorough plans
and equipment that would bendesir-
able, nor could the department. own
lands or buildings for the farm.
This necessitated the local Support
and this is the reason that the Am
arillo Commercial club stepped in
and has co-operated in the move.
Mr.. Bivins gave a five year leasd
TO his land, the club agreed to put up
the needed buildings, provide water,
and, in fact look after the permanent
Improvement phase of the subject
which we are not allowed to be con-
cerned in. The department agreed
to put In and maintain an Expert
mental farm; the interests OF the
Panhandle country as whole were
to be kept in mind from a farming
standpoint and we were to see that
the best seed and the information
we're put into the hands of the farm
ers.
Information for Actual Farmers.
At the close ofthe first years work
there were 60 acres in cultivation
and there had been 1850 experiments
conducted. We had given home
grown seeds to thirty people, having
supplied picked farmers with as
much as 500 pounds each of our best
wheats. The correspondence relating
to the Panhandle which we receive
is at titmes quite heavy and requires
great amount of time in answer
ing it. Some days there are as
many as twenty-five land prospec-
tors at the farm, and the caring for
them is the hardest problem that
we have-so many Of them want to
get confidential information, and the
rest are just as apt to want to see the
clover and the timothy. As a rule
we do not give these people any more
time than is necessary, but If the
real farmer wants to be shown over
the farm we go with him and use up
the whole afternoon If he wants It,
This illustrates our general policy
which is to help the actual farmer
rather than notice the land specu-
lator; the fairness of this PROPOSE
tion and the impartiality of it should
need no farther comment. Since
October there have been two depart
ment men detailed to this place and
at present there are three here most
of the thine We have our own farm
equipment and are not only doing
our work as 1t is needed and without
regard to the expense of the more
particular parts of it, but we also
using our funds from time to time
in small way to do things which the
Commercial club themselves prom
ised to do.
There have been demands for
growth in the work ever since we
came to the Panhandle, as have
said before. The general outline Of
the stations activity in 1907 will in
clude the following lines of work,
many of which are already in the
fourth year now and represent more
than their size looks like;
Small grain experiments-22 lines
of work with 1900 varieties.
Grain Sorghum experlments-17
lines of work with 400 varlties.
Forage Sorghum experiments-12