Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-31

IN wheat. WISCONSIN StdHuS HI titC
average yield per acre of wheat: Illinois
stands first in the average yield of oats,
and North Dakota comes second in the
yield of wheat.
Immense Flour Mills.
There are 3O3 flour mills in Minnesota
capable of producing 165, 715 barrels Of
flour per day. and they require 142. 7S4.5 $50
bushels of wheat to keep them busy
Minnesota produces about 1OOOO0.O00 a
year; North Dakota about 100000, and
South Dakota about 9OOOO.OOO bushels, SO
that the mills of the state consume the
entire product and almost half as much
again from their neighbors.
One milling company in Minneapolis
requires the crop of 5000 farms of 100
acres each.
Seven companies are operating linseed
oil mills in Minneapolis and one in Red
Wing Their approximate capacity is
between 15OOO.OOO and 100000 bushels
of flax. Minnesota and the two Daotas
produce 80 per cent of the fax crop of
the United States. yet they are not able
to satisfy the capacity of the Minnesota
mills.
The barley crop of Minnesota is about
32.OO0.0O0 bushels. of which three-fourths
is shipped from the state and about
SOOO.OOO bushels supplies the local de-
mand.
1t would be interesting to observe the
results of the thorough education that is
being given the coming generation of
farmers in the increased production and
the superior quality of the product. But
this instruction is not limited to the COM
ing generation. Nowhere is so much at
tention given to the instruction of the
mature farmers by object lessons, lectures
and personal contact
Education in Agriculture.
THE principle of the object lesson
which has been found so effective in our
ordinary schools, as a means of illus
trating the facts and propositions set
forth in the text books, finds it's most
advanced development along agricultural
lines, in the modern demonstration
farm said DIR. A. ID. Wilson, superin-
tendent of the Minnesota University
farms.
Prior TO it's beginning I'm Minnesota in
191O-under the auspieces of the then
JuSt-establfshed agricultural extension
division of the state university-cons.der-
able demonstration work had been done
in the south by the federal Department
of Agriculture, under the late DIR. Knapp,
also by several state experiment stations.
But this work was generally limited to
an endeavor, by specialists from the
department or from the station, to &C.
quaint the farmer with better methods
than those practiced on his farm and on
the farms of his neighbors, in the produc-
ton OF some one class Of farm crops or
live stock In the south the demon
stration movement was mainly devoted
to the promotion Of improved methods in
growing corn. rice and cotton.
I'm Minnesota, however. the idea has
| been expanded. Here the Agricultural
College assumes the direction of the
whole business of the farm selected for
demonstration purposes. and does not
limit itself to the Improvement of one
| particular phase Of it's industries. The
| INTERPOLATION Of the various crops and
processes is such that for the best re-
suits all around the farm must be man
aged as unit, under a single director.
| 1t is believed, by the men in charge of
| the movement In Minnesota. that this Is
the most practical way Of demonstrating
| the value of improved methods: because
| il not only secures better results from
| special crops. but involves care that these
| results shall be gained without SO in
| creasing the cost Of operating the farm
as to make the improvements impracti-
| cal
| "At present eighteen demonstration
/ farms are under the direction of Prof.
| Thomas Cooper and two assistants. who
| devote practically all OF their time to
i this work Ten or twelve more farms
i viii be added to the list during the year.
/ An attempt is made to distribute the
i farms over the state as we'll as possible,
i and to take in the fairly representative
/ localities. farm convenient of access
| and representative of the type of soil and
/ class of farming generally carried on in
i the community is chosen. Care.is taken
| to select farms owned and operated by
/ TO act on suggestion. No financial induce
| sv,esnt In offered tn these men and they