The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-07-25
What the Extension Department
OF the North Dakota A. c. Is Doins
Splendid Exhibit at the State Fair Ates the Practical Re
suits Of This Feature Of the Agricultural Edit
cation Work in the State

IN an interview the following fact
In regard to the work of the Agricul
Il tural college extension work wer
brought out. The object of the exten
sion department is to bring to tn,
farmer the information that is worked
out at the experiment station and az
ricultural college, to encourage the in.
PRODUCTION of the teaching of agricul
ture into the public schools, and Il
work for better farming in it's different
phases. A bill is now before congress,
to appropriate $4,000 a year to each
extension department, and with pro.
visions for practically doubling the
work. 1t nearly passed at the las,
session and certainly will early in tn,
next session
provision has been made by the ma.
tional government to aid the agricul.
tural experiment stations in workina
out information in agricultural lines
and to aid the college in putting this
information into teachable form.
The next step Is TO take the informa.
ton to the farmer and to see that his
children are taught agriculture in the
schools that they can attend and that
is the work the extension departments
are trying to do.
The N. .. A. c. Department.
The North Dakota Agricultural col
lege extension department has severa
activities. One is the corn clubs Last
year 5000 school children in the state
grew corn; in the fall a contest was
held In each county, and during the
Trl-State Grain Growers conventions
the state corn show was held The
corn exhibits came from all parts OF
the state and were eye openers.
| good deal of the corn had been at the
Omaha national corn exposition.
The North Dakota booth was next
to that Of Indiana. The North Dakota
corn was smaller than that from In
diana, but 1t was also more mature,
better dried and the kernels wedged
on the cob so that the ear was as rigid
as stick of wood, so that what North
Dakota corn lacked in size it made up
in quality. These exhibits came from
counties ranging clear up to the Cana
F.! dian border. This year 5000 school
| children are growing corn in the fol-
lowing thirty-tw countless: Mclean,
Dickey, Pembina, Richland, Hettinger,
| Pierce, Stutsman, Ramsey, Walsh,
Grand Forks, Nelson, Burleigh. Cava-
lier, Williams, McHenry, Steele, Eddy,
Wells, Bottineau, Barnes, Towner,
Mountrail, Billings, Cass, Ransom,
Rolette, Benson Adams, Foster, La
Moure, Trail and Bowman. This is d
larger number than either Illinois or
Iowa have and they have been at this
work much longer. Professor Randlett,
director of the department, who has
this work in charge, states that it has
almost surprised him to see the eager
ness with which county superintend-
ents, teachers and pupils have gone
into this work. Tr is especially signif-
cant for this state, which has been
looked upon as being too far north to
grow corn. The corn club work has
demonstrated in a wonderfully short
time that corn can be grown in all
parts of the state.
This year it is the only crop that lie
making a success in all parts of the
state. Even where the grain and grass
have burned up corn will produce for
age and likely some grain. Those who
have planted corn will have feed for
their stock, while in many cases those
who have not grown corn will have no
feed and may have to sell their stock
to the man who grew corn, or sell 1t to
the farmer in Illinois or Indiana who
will feed 1t on corn that could just as
well have been grown in North Dakota. |
This is only half the story Of the |
corn crop. 1t practically assures a |
good crop of small grain next year
Most of the farmers who are growing |
corn prepare the ground poorly, do not |
take sufficient care in curing the seed, |
do not cultivate enough, but too deep. |
The school children who are growing |
corn are taught that the weeds use up |
the food and moisture, that cultivation /
saves moisture as we'll as kills weeds, I
and that deep cultivation cuts off the |
corn roots and so sets 1T back as we'll |
as injuries 1t. SO to them the prin-
ciples of good corn culture will come
as natural as republican doctrines to
a republican. 1t will be a part of their
mental makeup. Corn has been devel-
oped and grown at the experiment sta
ton for long time, and the extension
department has spread 1t over the state
like wildflre.
The director of the extension depart
ment also meets with teachers, giving
them instruction in how to introduce /
some agricultural teaching into their
schools, how to make use of the plants II
weeds, animals, insects and soils. How
to improvise simple apparatus, thus
the teachers in agriculture
and enabling them in turn to interest
their pupils, and to give them some
information. This year he
net the teachers of two counties at the
summer school, those of five
at the university summer
school at Grand Forks, and he will
meet the teachers of Cass and sur
'ounding counties at the summer
chool to be held at the Agricultural
college, Aug. / to 25.
The extension department. also sends
mt educational exhibits to the county
nd state fair. This year exhibits
we're made at the, Cooperstown Valley
'ity and Grand Forks fairs and this
week IL has a fine exhibit at the state
air. The corn exhibit for instance
hows what kinds of corn can be
rown in the different parts OF the |
tate, what good corn is and any one |
1terested can learn from one in 1
barge how 1t was grown. The exhibit |
weeds contains pressed specimens as
'ell as the seeed, with instructions for
Indicating. These collections serve
5 sort of rogues gallery OF weeds,
ere any one can identity a weed. The
ONE economics exhibit illustrates the II
,od value OF different food, showing II
ow much water. starch. fat and pro- II
I'm they contain. The fireless cooker.