The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-08-18
Agricultural Department Has Adopted
the Moving Picture Machine
as Good Method Of lncreas-
Ing Its Effectiveness.
TO SHOW FARM SCENES
VIII Take Motion Photographs Of Good
Subjects and Then Show Them
to Those Who Are In.
terested.

The United States Department o.
Agriculture is In the moving picture
business.
Not that 1t operates, or contemplates
operating string Of five-cent theatres.
nor syndicate" films whereupon are
depicted everything from slnp-stick
comedies to sobby sentimentalities,
nor hopes to give the Great Ameri-
can Farmer the uplift In the drama
via the motion picture route--not by
any means. The department Is sim
ly entering into the field because far
sighted Uncle "Tama Jim Wilson,
secretary G. agriculture. believes he
can by it's aid bring home to the far
mers of the country the necessity OF
modern methods in agriculture.
1t has always been hard to make
the farmers Of the country under
stand from mere description how to
handle their crops in this new era
of agriculture. The average man on
the farm doesn't take kindly to advice
he hears and reads-he wants visual
proof of the soundness OF things. He
sticks to the old ways until he actual
ly sees the advantage of the new.
1t Is for this reason that the de-
partment is now adopting the motion
picture machine to educate the far
er. Films will be made at the various
experiment stations throughout the
country showing the new order of
things in the way of preparing the
land, planting, cultivating. harvesting
and handling of the crop. how to
make roads, how to breed cattle,
horses, sheep, and farm animals. and
the thousand and one tasks that oc-
cupy farmers. BY exhibiting these
films at popular meetings of farmers
all over the country. the department
hopes to give them actual, visual. con-
vincing proof that the old order
changeth, giving place to new, and
that the new agriculture means bet
ter crops, better farms, better roads,
and better animals.
A cooperative arrangement is now
in formation. whereby the department
will send its moving picture-taking
stations throughout the country and
there photograph the operations on
these model farms. The flms will
be developed at washington. and du-
rlicates will be furnished to such OF
the farmers organizations as desire
them. for exhibit at agricultural meet
ings--the experimental farms, state
Institutes. and other semi-govern
mental agencies owning the machines
which reproduce the films.
In this way tho department OF agri
culture will soon be sort of clear
ing house OF films on agricultural
subjects sort of moving picture
syndicate. which viii produce and DIS
tribute films for exhibition among far
mers all over the country. Then too
the farmers institutes in the severa
states will become subsidiary distrib
uting points for reels
1t Is brand new idea in the cam
paign which the departures. has beer
waging Tor years to educate the far
mer. Not only that. but 1t Is brand
new idea for any government to owl
motion picture machine or loar
films. The navy department. It I;
true. has for some time been makins
use OF the motion pictures to portra,
life aboard ship. in their campaign
for recruits to the naval service. The
assumption was that the pictures
which were taken by concern prin
cipally known for It's production o
popular" reels-would excite the In
terest of young men as a truthful por
trayal of l'fe on the bounding ocear
wave. The pictures were shown II
connection with a lecture given b.
a recruiting officer That they have
been eminently successful is beyond
doubt. Still, the navy department
wasn't actually in the business OF
making pictures. The department o.
agriculture is.