Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-12-30
COUNTY AGRICULTURAL DEPART
N MENr LATEST MOVE TO I'M
PROVE FARMING.
SIOUX CITY COMMERCIAL
CLUB STARTS MOVEMENT
Proposed to Use Department to Aid
Farmers in Adopting More Modern
Methods Of MISUNDERSTANDING
in Charge of Practical Men-HoIden
Approves Plans.

Sioux City. Dec 30-A movement
likely TO attract attention from every
agricultural state in the union was
announced by the commercial club yes
terday. 1t proposes an organization of
Woodbury. county farmers and bust
ness men for the purpose of MAIN
tanning q department of agriculture
within the county and teaching mod
ern methods calculated to improve land
conditions and increase yields.
y committee consisting of Capt W.
s. A. Smith, John Thompson, W. B.
Lower. F. L. Eaton and G. B. Healy
has been appointed by the club to take
charge of the preliminary plans. The
directors of the club have approved
the plan. which was presented to them
by Secretary W. E Holmes.
One of the proposals is the hiring OF
a County commissioner of agricul
ture." The county would have the dis
tinction of being the first in the
country to take the step. At a later
date. horticultural work would be TAX
en- up by the department.
The commercial club hopes to have
a big meeting Of farmers and business
men from every section of the cou:
ty In the month of January. Another
meeting is being planned in connection
with the interstate PreedeNs' Associ-
alton in March. when formal organ
ization viii he effected
One of the pans of the committee
is a line OF experiments in alfalfa
p, G. Holden Approves.
1t is estimated that the department
will cost about $4,000 a year. the ex-
pense to be met by the annual dues
of the members.
Secretary Holmes and Mr. Thomp-
-: submitted the plans to Prof. P. G.
= the Iowa Agricultural Col
lege at Ames. PROF. Holden heart
lily approved the idea in tt.SN 4a,,.,,,.;,,o
words:
"The suggestion, II carried into ef-
feet, will result in the greatest step
forward in agricultural progress in
this country
.Do you know that if Sioux City and
the people of Woodbury. county would
take hold Of this and put the first thing
of its kind into existence here in Iowa,
it will not only be a great credit TO
Iowa, but, being the greatest agli
cultural state, the movement ought to
start in Iowa and it will also do much
to extend the movement turnout the
United States. Sioux City and Wood
bury county have a chance TO make a
much bigger spot on the map, and /
viii be glad to help you take this first
step, for I know what it will mean.
Let me illustrate to show that it
would be a business propositions:
Could Save 100000 Year.
"The state has been putting SO coo
per year into extension work in 90
counties. Woodbury. county grows an
nually about 10000 acres of corn. The
yield could be increased ten bushels 10
the acre-that is, from an average Of
about thirtyfour to forty-four. By SIM
ply testing every ear of corn and hav-
ing each ear harvested and hung up
by the first day ofOctober, before it is
frozen, and by grading it, hand picking
It and properly adjusting the blades Of
the planter. This increase of ten bush
els per acre would mean an increase in
the corn crop Of Woodbury. county OF
s1,290,000 bushels, worth more than
100000.
Il simply use corn as an illustration.
This does not include, of course, the
Improvements that could also be made
with oats, barley, use of the corn crop
thru the silo. livestock, dairying, al
falfa culture, etc Such a commission
er would arrange with the county SUI
pertntendent TO dismiss the rural
schools for two weeks, with the in
structioEs to help test seed corn, ard
the same thing would be true in the
fall when it came time to harvest the
corn. He could also conduct the var
ious demontrati ton farms turnout the
county; hold a short course in every
township; or at least in eight or ten
places; help with the farmers insti-
tute work and in a hundred other
ways not only increase the profits on
the farm but make better homes"