The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-12-30
The Practical Work Done
at the North Dakota A. c.

erly done. They carry on moisture
studies, fertility tests, soil studies, etc.
Each one Of the farms, too, is utilized
as meteorological station. AS q part /
OF the arrangement, a post card re- I
port must be mailed by the farm owner |
to the college each day, showing just !
what is being done at each farm,
These farms are found very useful |
too, In testing any improved grain var
ieties that the experiment station may |
contemplate putting forward. These !
varieties can be tested out very care !
fully all over the state and the results |
up for few years, so as to
be sure of the outcome, before the
new sorts are offered to the public.
Strong Farmers Institutes.
In North Dakota, the farmers insti-
tutes are a big interest, and they, also,
are closely allied with the experiment
station and agricultural college. The
management is vested in a board of
five men, all but one of whom are
members ex-officio Of the agricultural
staff. Dean Shepperd is president Of
the board and Superintendent Hover
stad has his offices in the college build
ings The institute work i'm North Da-
kota, as we have noted on former oc-
casions, is on a good basis. The re-
turns go to show that during the year
ending in June there was an attendance
at the farmers institute meetings and
better farming train of about $4,000
We have not the figures at hand, but
our impressions are that this gives
something like 300 people as an aver
age audience at the farmers institute
meetings.
Tri- State Grain Grove S.
Then there Ia what is known as the
Tri-State Grain Growers convention.
This is altogether different in it's ma
ture and aims from the Grain Growers
associations of Manitoba and Saskat-
chewan. President Worst Of the col
lege, is the president Superintendent
Hoverstad of the Farmers Institutes
is the secretary, and the whole thing
is really big farmers institute gath
ering. This gathering has been an an
nual winter affair for perhaps ten
years or so now and it has always
been held at Fargo in the closest affi-
liation with the agricultural college.
Out of it has grown the state live
stock breeders organizations, the
state horticultural association and
practically the annual poultry show,
Yet this big gathering can scarcely be
called an organization. 1t Is really
sort of big mid-winter farmers pic
mic for the purpose OF discussing prob
lens as to how the farmer can i'm
prove his methods. There are no
membership fees, every person who
comes is a delegate, and the president
and secretary manage all the affairs
between meets.
| 1t Is part of the plan to try to have
at least one or two visiting men OF
more than usual prominence at this
gathering each winter, and then to
utilize these still further In a few
three-day institutes that are at once
put on in dofferent parts of the states.
More might be written along the
same line, but enough has been said
to show that in North Dakota there is
a strong organization to connect up
the work Of the Agricultural college
and experiment stations with the far
mer.
Practical Physics.
1 we Audg TIL III IOA a. IlApAbEilN 1DW u
the work at the college itself, and here
we will satisfy ourselves with doing
little more than referring to that oil
one man. This is the work of Prof
e. S. Keene, head of the physics de-
Ipartment 1t is not often that the
/ professor of physics in an agricultural
college gets very much into the public
eye, is he is mostly engaged in giving
instruction i'm some abtruse scientific
principles that for the most part seen
i rather remote from the thought of the
average farmer.
But Professor Keene has put some
Of his work into a shape that bids fail
to make it very popular. He has be.
gun upon the problem of teachint
home science in a popular way and
largely through the eye. For instance
we will suppose that he is going II
teach the principles of heating a resi-
dence. He has a panel about two fee
square fitted exactly on the principl
of hot air furnace, showing ventiIa
ton system and ALL This can be pu
before the class; 1t can be handles
by them. Not only can the principle
of heating be explained, but practica
: r.
takes made in installing furnaces-anf
there are lots Of them-and the RICH
way shown. Then he has a model o
steam heating plant. Then anothe
panel shows the whole apparatus TO
the electric door bell and the principl
of installing Another shows vartou
kinds Of water taps, cut open on on
; side to show the plans on which the,
. are made. And we might go on. Their
were upwards Of 100 panels or sin1ila
apparatus intended to be used Il
familarizing the students with prope
and up-to-date home appointments 70
both country and town. Some of tn
, things shown were very. common an
/. Iyet very little understood. For in
stance, the interior Of 9 common ga
meter was shown. Although in tn
homes Of hundreds OF the town visitor
to the college, Professor Keene sal
that in year he had not seen a singI
9 person who was in the business VIII
] had ever before seen the inside of on
Y of these There were scales Of dit
: ferent SORTS kitchen motors for ligf
; house work, steam engine and gasolin
> engine models, telephones, etc, etc.
we will not touch on the work (
? any other professor, beyond sayin
that the station staff at Fargo he
I more than thirty officers on 1t, an
r that they are doing god and a bl
: work.
: LARGE MORTGAGE 10 FILED