Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-05-13
What One Railroad is Doing

I concentration and the same exercise
Of brain power that are required of
/ the man in whose hands are placed
/ the finances of a community. II the
man who supplies the world with bread
and meat were not alive TO the need
for expanding his knowledge of meth
DDS. the educational propaganda IN
, der'aken by the colleges and the rail
roads would be of no avail.
That the farmer wants to know has
been demonstrated time and again in
the experience of the agricultural de-
partment OF the Rock Island lines. In
fact, the department was organized
not TO attempt to reach the farmer, but
/ to make available 10 him such informa-
, ton as he desired from the agricul-
tural colleges and experiment stations
of the IA states traversed by the com
panys lines.
Diversified farming. as applied to i
Of the great middle western states of
the union is a large term, and any one
man who attempted to cover this ter
ritory on any other plan than by as
sistance Of state and federal experts
and eXperimenters would fail. The
work is under the supervision Of John
Sebastian, third vice president. who
has engaged for service as commission
er OF agriculture, Prof H NJ. Cottrel,
a man of wide experience in farm man
agement and we'll grounded in theoret-
ical agriculture, but especially gifted
as an organizer and institute lecturer
He meets the farmer on familiar
ground, talks to him in everyday
terms, and deals largely with the dol
lars and cents that make a stronger
appeal to the business farmer than do
scientific terms or learned discourses
on soil chemistry or agronomical prob
lens.
Naturally a department that has
come in contact with almost 10, 600 per-
sons in the short period of eight
months contains in its outwardly pro
sale daily record of activity many in
cidents that have the touch of human
interest. So, for example was the
graphic expression of gratitude that
came from a French woman at Mamou.
La. after she had listened intently to
an hours lecture on domestic economy
from the lips of a woman who knew
how 20 reach the hearts of her sisters
Il gif you Won big kiss" she said. in /
leaving the car. and, suiting action to
words. she threw her arms around the
lecturers neck and administered a re-
sounding smack upon the lady's cheek 4
II was a homily on such homely things /
as peeling potatoes. nursing the bah |
les and caring for the sick that brought |
out the spirit of gratitude in the French |
woman. whose labor will be lightened 4
by the information she thus received /
The Rock Island plan to educate the /
former to higher efficiency is TO give I.
lectures in passenger coaches, during /
stops from IS minutes to one hour at /
each station. Usually four coaches are /
reserver for this purpose. the first two (
being allotted 10 the men. a third to /
pupils OF the schools and the fourth TO
the housewives. Experience has
shown that farmers institute work di-
rected alone to farmers is not half so ;
effective as when the lectures take in
the whole family. II the chief sub
iect is diversified farming-a topic that
is holding attention all over the south
just now-then this central thought
runs through the lectures, whether the
auditors be men. women or children.
For the women. poultry raising has us
place on the diversified farm. and they
get instruction on that topic with the
household economy lecture The child