The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-10-19

heartily welcome the Minneapolis, %,
Paul and Duluth men who have com
forward and offered to help us In tn
plan
DivsrsifeatiOn Advocated.
Bradford Knapp Of the department
OF agriculture. Washington. d. c., wal
introduced by r. T. Howe, as a mar
long identified with the work OF agri
cultural Improvement and we'll quail
ned to speak on the subject, and Mr.
Knapp said
"Certainty Of results Is the grea
thing to be desired in agriculture, fol
farming Is a business as well as ar
avocatton. The farmer should be ablt
TO operate on a cash basis, close IL
sJfanet cnise-o shrdlu shrdlu shrdln
cash basis, to get best results. In
no country in the world has there beer
found staple, dependable basis fol-
agriculture except where there har
been diversifcation. Go back hundreds
OF years, or farther back, and you will
md all dependable systems based or
liberalization.
The one-crop system always has
proven a failure because 1t gives nc
opportunity for conserving the sol.
That 10 true OF the south. and true OF
every portion Of this country. In
every state some farmers are making
big success, through better knowl-
edge, and In every county we may find
men who are getting better results
tnan the average OF the farmers. II
the knowledge that is stored UP in the
department OF agriculture at Washing
ton and in the Minnesota Agr1cuI-
tural college and other state institu-
lions could become the common prop
erty OF all the farmers and be .util-
lied, and put into practice, the re-
suits would be astonishing.
How best to accomplish agricultural
improvements is the question. We
have our agricultural colleges. We
have farmers institutes, farmers short
courses, and other agencies, and all
help. But the farmer who ID I'm debt
will not come 20 the farmers insti-
tute. Very often the men who come
are the ones who least need the in
struction. The result is that we have
found that the only way to go about
It Is this-if the farmer will not come
to the college, take the college to the
farmer.
To Reach the Farmer.
There are demonstration farms in
many states. Sometimes they do not
reach the farmer ten miles away from
where they are located. But you get
results IL you can get the demonstra-
ton on the farm OF the man you are
concerned with, or 80 close to his
farm that he will see what comes out
Of 1t.
The farm cooperative DEVELOPMENT
work OF the department of agriculture
at Washington was intended primarily
for the cotton farmer and was really
brought about to comba. the eff4scf of
the bolt weevil, threatening to destrGy
the crop Of cotton, which the last
year, for example. was worth $780,
100000 to this country.
We have a central office at Wash
ington, an office in every state and
county agencies. We usually select
some reliable farmer for county repre-.
sentative.
The farmer is naturally a doubter.
Many have doubts about the boiled
shirt high collar and book far
mers, and they are not slow to express
those doubts. To hear a southern far
mer say. I know just as much bout
raising corn as any Of you boiled -shirt
farmers from Washington was com
mon experience in the early stages OF
our work.
There Is only one way to show the
farmer. Bring demonstration to him.
It is absolutely an eye-opener. In 999
cases out of 1000, we have been able
to multiply the acreage result 100 per
cent on our demonstration. farms, but
the whole secret of the success OF the
plan is the actual participation of the
farmer In 1t.
f"At first inception we took simple
because you cannot bring
the whole Idea Of scientific farming to
the farmer at once. We took, for In
stance. deep blowing, good seed selec-
ton, the creation and maintenance OF
a soil mulch 70 hold moisture, and we
accomplished great results by impress
ing one thing at a time upon the tiller
Of the soil.