University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1911-12-08

| be realized. Back at some time in
some place somebody conceived the
idea of producing two, or for the sake
Of variation let us say three, quarts
of milk where one was previously
produced. Josephine is the result
She is theory, an idea. in practice
She is a problem solved.
The solution of problems is good
but in the work of a university tina,
desires to serve it is only halfway
measure. The other half of the work
is the driving home of the fact of so.
luton. The College of Agriculture
of the University of Missouri solves
pI Oblems relating to agriculture in
the state, works out best methods OF
doing, then with the results still red.
hot it rushes with them to the man
on the farm and makes him take no.
tice.
For the first part of the work OF
the College in serving the state, the
solution of problems and research
the Agricultural Experiment Station
was organized in 1887. Today in
vestigations are being carried on in
twenty different localities. AS a re-
suit Christian county corn yields have
been increased over sixteen bu. an
acre, and the Christian Co. farmer
has been shown how to increase his
clover yield nearly two tons to
the acre. Southwest Missouri has a
still more wonderful tale to tell. In
other PAGES it has been shown how
the wheat yield can be more than
doubled. The station is now making
soil survey of the state.
Again, cooperative experiments
are being carried on in all but nine
of the ia counties of Missouri. The
farmers themselves on their own
farms are being virtually put on the
staff of the University. They have
shown that alfalfa can be success
fully grown in every county of the
state. Those cooperating in dairy
work have increased their profits
twenty per cent. These facts only
touch the fringe of what has been
accomplished by this state wide work.
In addition, county experiment sta
tions are now in operation in Jasper,
St. Louis and Lewis counties. Each
station is busy working out some
problem. From these stations, as
from the other outside endeavors of
the College of Agriculture, ideas per-
colate through the farming cOmmu-
mites. Farmers are justly cOnserva-
tive in adopting new ideas. At the
outlying stations they see those that
are of value being tested They form
personal acquaintance with new
thoughts, and a thought one has
shaken hands with is in a fair way
tn be used. 1t, too, has travelling
dairy instructor whose whole time
is given to organizing and instruct
ing dairy associations and advising
individual dairy farmers.
Somebody escaped the gallows and
gave expression to the penny-saved-
penny-earned idea. The college of
solves problems at home,
and in applying the solutions earns
money for the state by saving it. The
college solves the problem of hog
cholera. This last year it inoculated
$1,000 hogs. Eighty-five per cent
of these We're saved, and Missouri
has earned $75O,OOO, more than
enough to run the University for the
time covered.
A number of years ago the mer-
chant who sanded his sugar went
into the fertilizer business. The Ag-
r;cultural Experiment Station came
to the farmeds. rescue. Now all fer
tilizers must be registered with the
station. The station publishes each
year an analysis of the different
brands that the farmer may know
exactly what he buys.
If the College of Agriculture did
nothing more than conduct outside
it can be seen that much
would filter from the va
rious experiment centers to the farm
ers of the state. But the college ex-
pends fully half its energy in carry
ing the results of its investigations
and experience to the people it most
serves. Its instruction is as wide as
the state. Five men from the college,
travelling on special trains, lectured
in eleven days to $4,000 persons
Addresses on agricultural topics were
given last year by teachers from the
college i'm every county in Missouri
They were listened to by 100000