The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1911-02-06


Interest in learning the modern meth
ods OF farming. which is due to the
lfact that this is the first educational
train for farmers that has visited the
east side, and because they did not
have the advantage of attending ag-
lricultural schools until recently, while
western Oklahoma farmers have had
the advantages of agricultural schools
flor the last sixteen years.
Eastern Oklahoma farmers seem to
be more interested in the lectures of
Live Stock and Dairying" than the
many other subjects handled by the
Istate's experts, as it has not been
many years since stock-raising was
the principal industry in that part of
the state, although not very much ma
Tive thoroughbred cattle was raised,
and from the keen interest taken by
1.-THE farmers in learning the types of
live stock best suited to Oklahoma
conditions it is quite evident that the
farmers will devote more attention to
lraising more and better live stock for
the Oklahoma City market. They will
also devote attention to producing
dairy products, which, at present, are
very scarce in southeastern Oklahoma.
THE farmers of eastern Oklahoma, in
iterested in producing native live stock,
are being encouraged to go more ex-
tensively into the industry on account
of the fact that that region is develop
ing into a good corn-producing section
of the state Eastern Oklahoma's corn
fields returned the large yields per
acre last year and the acreage is grow
ing larger each year At the same
time the farmers are raising and fat
tening more hogs, which are being
! shipped principally to the Oklahoma
City market
Much interest is also manifested by
the farmers at every point in learning
how to select good corn and cotton
seed, the best varieties adapted to their
locality and where they can secure this
seed for the planting of their spring
Icrops, which indicates a vast change
of interest taking place in the minds
of the farmers in the sections visited
as to the system of farming they viii
follow in the future. Close attention
also is given to the lectures on cotton
and corn culture, and at every point
hundreds of farmers gave their names
to those in charge of the train, asking
that bulletins issued by the board of
agriculture and A. and M. college be
sent them, so they may learn more of
modern methods of farming
The section through which the train
is now passing is pre-eminently cot
ton region, and as the boil worm and
boil weevil damaged the crop last year
in many localities the lecture by the
state entomologist on how to prevent
these pests from destroying thousands
of dollars worth of cotton annually
was much appreciated. All indica-
tions along the north path of the train
point to a big increased cotton acre
age for next year. and farmers from
other states are now trying to buy or
rent land in Oklahoma to raise cot
ton, having been attracted by the big
yields made last year and the prevail
ing high price, which the farmer re-
ceived for the crop.
The slogan of the train is;
"A million aud quarter bales of
cotton and two hundred million dol
lars worth of agricultural products for
1911"
The train spends Sunday at Guthrie
and concludes the tour on the Fort
Smith G. Western road Monday at El
Reno. During the remaining nine days
of the tour, the train will be on the
Santa Fe and Frisco lines in central
and eastern Oklahoma, concluding at
Oklahoma City February 10.
The better seed and live stock train
is the third of series of educational
trains run by the A. and NJ. college
and Oklahoma board of agriculture to
educate the present day farmer in
modern methods of farming. Two
more trains are scheduled for the
present year. One is "bacon special, f"
to be run over the Frisco and Rock
Island lines next April, the ultimate
object being to induce farmers to raise
more and better hogs suitable for max
ing bacon.
The other is 'the milo special,
which the Rock Island officials have
just authorized to make tour Of the
southwestern lines of the Rock Island
system, commencing in March. The
object of this train is to induce farm
ers in the dry sections to raise milo
maize, the great dry farming crop
Milo maize was raised in Custer county