Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-01-23

What promises to be the most sue
cessful farmers institute ever held
in the western part of the state was
commenced Wednesday morning in
this city. The great hall of the Com
mercial club was filled at an early
hour with farmer from all parts OF
the county and even representatives
from other counties were noted in the
audience, every chair being occupied
and it was necessary to bring into the
hall a hundred more to accommodate
the crowd.
special feature of the gathering
was the number of ladies present
The mercant's wife was noted as well
as the farmers helpmeet and they
all seemed as much interested as the
menfolks. There presence was APP
preciated by the institute conductors
who see in their presence wider
awakening of interest in those who
have fully as great part of the
farmers burden to bear as the head
of the house.
The smoker in the evening was a
delightful affair from both an edu-
cational and social point of view. The
relations of the farmer to the mer-
chant and vice versa were shown to
be interdependent in a large degree
and in the informal talks after the
set program was over the best Of
good feeling prevailed in the ranks
of both classes. There is no ques-
ton about the success of the institute.
Routine Report
The first days work of the farm
er's institute was promptly commenc-
ed at 10 o'clock in the hall of the
Commercial club rooms. Prof. T. A.
Hoyerstad calling the audience to or
der and delivering a brief but inter
esting talk in which he outlined the
work of the day.
Then followed brief, but interesting
and enthusiastic talks by the assem-
bled farmers on the subject of grain
growing, methods of culture and kind
red SUBJECTS until the interest of all
was fully aroused when the subject
of tame grasses was preached.
For moment it looked as if the
subject lacked interest, but this was
soon seen to be a mistaken view of the
case, as for an hour and half there
was running discussion of the sub
ject, not only, as to the food value
of the grasses, but as to the best way
of growing them, the kind to grow ani
their value as to the conservation O.
soil fertility, but as to the all import
ant subject of retention by and addi
ton of humus to the soil and all these
kindred subjects.
The discussion was guided very skill
fully by Prof. Hoverstad, so skillfull.
in fact that to the careless observe
it would appear like it was mer
natural result, but to the close oh
server the real tact was apparent a
every step and he could not help ad
miring the real tact and skill dis
played.
Short addresses were made by @
G. Gregg of Lynn, Mimi, Prof. Thorn
as Shaw of the Minnesota agricultul
al college, o. O. Churchill of the
G. of Fargo, and others.
Mr.. Gregg talked on the humus il
the soil and the dairy cow in a wa
that showed that there was natura
law that must be observed Or fai
ure was the only possible result c
all effort however arduous or othel
wise well directed.
According to Mr.. Gregg nature a
ways followed that law which lead
self preservation, or, as Darwin pu
it, the law of the survival of the fl
test" This law held good in tn
shack of the early settler or the HON
of the modern scientific farmer an
applied to the buffalo in it's wild stat
or to the dairy COW in her best an
most productive capacity and thu
law was one that obeyed lead to ce
tain success or violated lead to SUI
destruction in the final end. That
applied to the soil and soil product
whether grains or grasses or to az
male life was all the same in Il
end That in the breeding OF al
mails or the production Of crops the
natural laws must be observed
success was to be obtained. But N
Gregg claimed that the law was eas
to learn, not hard to obey.
Prof. Shaw was carefully listent
to and his advocacy of the grow
of the tame grasses was conVinciI
and many farmer present will wit
in the next few months, put to tie
the teachings of this able and expel
enced teacher.
The Afternoon Session
The afternoon session was opent