The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-08-20
UNCLE SANS MOVING PICTURE
" SHOWS For FARMERS.

The United States Department Of
is In the moving picture
business.
~ Not that II. operates. or contenplates
operating. q string or hve-cent theatres,
/ nor syndicate" films. nor hopes to
give the Great American FARMER the
Sppllft III the drama via the motion
) picture Sroute by any means.
THE department Is simply entering the
field because farsighted Uncle llama
Jim Wilson. Secretary Of Agriculture.
believes he can by, its aid bring home
Ito! the farmers OF the country, the ne
gcessity for modern methods In agricul-
+ture. 1t has always been hard TO make
the farmers of the country understand
from mere description how to handle
their crops In this new era OF agr!cul-
fture The average man on the farm
doesn't take kindly to advice lie hears
Il or reads-he wants visual proof Of the
s9soundness Of things. He sticks to tho
odd ways until he actually sees the all
vantage, OF the new. It is for this rca-
son that the department Is now adopt.
ling the motion picture machine to ed
Sucate tho farmer. Films will be made
Int the various experiment stations
sthroug houtr the country showing tho
new order or things in the way of pre-
pairing the land, planting. cultivating.
harvesting and handling of the crop.
how to make roads, how to breed cat
r tie, horses. sheep. and farm animals.
n and the thousand and one tasks that
\ occupy farmers. By exhibiting these
Z Aims the department hopes to give
them actual, visual. convincing proof
that the old order changeth. giving
place to- new. and that the new asrl-
Z culture means better crops. better
farms. better roads nnd>better animals.
8 4; "a cooperative arrangement is now
{ in formation whereby. the. department
will send Its moving plcturc-talsinE
4 machine to the various experiment
stations throughout the country and
there photograph the operations on
] these model farms. The films will be
sadeveloped at Washington and dupll
Scntes will be furnished to such OF the
4 farmers organizations as desires tim
/ for exhibit at agricultural meetings
y the exenrimental farms. State instI-
flutes and other semI-Eovernmental
agencies owning the machines which
reproduce the films.
In this way the Department of Agrl.
4 culture will soon be n sort OF moving
picture syndicate. which will produce
and distribute films for exhibition
among farmers rnll over tho country.
Then. too. the farmers institutes, In
sthe several States will become subsl
dairy distributing points for reels.
nj 1t is a brand new Idea In the cam
I paiEn which the department has been
wnEinE fdrsyears to educate the far
.5mer. Not only that. but it is brand
4 new Idea for any government depart
i mentSto own a motion picture machine
4 or loan films. The Navy Department,
sstitsis true, has for some time been max
4 Ing use OF the motion pictures to por.
tray. life aboard Ship In their campaign
4 for recruits Ito tn. naval service The
I assumption was that tho pictures
which were taken by a concern prin.
cipally known for It's production Or
;i'popnlar' ireels--wo,ild excite the In.
y tersat OF young men as a truthful lpnr-
trayals 81 4 life on the bounding ocean
wave. The pictures were shown In