The Dickinson press., 1911-10-14
l. R. WALDRon WRITES
DEALING WITH STERN FACTS

Anent Commissioner Flint's open
letter to the board of control. regarding
the keeping of dairy stock at the sub
experimental stations. it may be we'll
to say q few words of the nature of the
work being done at the experiment
station at Dickinson. Judging by
some of the objections Cred at the
writer, this information ought not to
come amiss.
In the first place. l am quite willing
to concede Mr.. Flint's views in their
entirety that pure dairy stock should
be kept, and that careful and accurate
records of them should be made. Incl
dentally. it may be we'll to note that
while the Dickinson station is but one
of the five sub-stations. it had. last
March 37K per cent of the dairy stock
kept at those stations. But even at
Dickinson. there is no question but
that the dairy interests do not have
the proportionate attention that they
should have upon the farms of the state.
And yet. under the present conditions.
my conscience is tolerably clear upon
the subject. speaking of course alone
for the Dickinson station.
The scientist, by discovering new
knowledge, has enabled the discoverer
and the practical man to do those
things that have entirely revo'utionized
our methods and manner of living. We
have not progressed so much but that
the scientist has still other work to do.
perhaps work that is as important as
any yet done.
1t would seem that with all of the
splendid achievements that the scientist
has attained for the benefit of mankind,
it would not be necessary at the pres
ent day to apologize for his existence
and for his work. As a matter of fact,
continual apology and explanation
seems to be necessary. and especially
so in the realm of agricultural science
and in a new state like North Dakota,
WIlcEc pdllclICC 10 oSdtSCly "Sh AoAAAASu
habit.
In agricultural science, the aim of
the work is practical in its nature, and
the tax payers often want immediate
practical results. In science. very
often, knowledge seems to linger as
eadily as does wisdom in common
affairs. Results do not come at COM
mand and years may elapse before the
prize is attained.
In 1882, when Faraday in his labora-
tory was winding wire around soft wire
rings, and watching the magnet needle
move as the current was made and
broken, he could have had no concep-
ton of the numberless and mighty
dynamos that his apparently simple
discovery would set in motion. He
worked in a laboratory and so more OF
less in secret.
WORK AT DICKINSON.
At Dickinson we are working almost
exclusively with farm crops and
naturally the experimental portion of
our work has to be done out of doors.
1t looks to a casual visitor as though
we were conducting a farm. We are,
but it is a very special kind of farm but
that is something that our casual visi-
tor does not appreciate. He does not
appreciate that we are working out
scientific problems that. when solved,
will be one of the greatest practical
importance, but which. while being
worked. may have no commercial
value. Incidentally some Of our work
may be model or Unconstitutional in
character, but such work does not form
the basis of the station. Our expert
mental farm should more properly be
compared to a laboratory. The agri-
cultural chemist is not compelled to
raise swine to convince the public that
he has the interests of the farmers
and the interests of the stock raisers at
heart. The chemist knows that he will
advance the interests of the farmer
most rapidly by keeping at the line
of investigation that he is started at.
Now, speaking personally. we have
under way several lines of investigation
relating to the agriculture of North
Dakota. which, if welt attended to. will
finally prove of distinct value 10 the
farmers of North Dakota. These prob
lens are of extreme difficulty and re-
quire for their successful working the
very limit of energy and ability pos
sessed by myself and assistants.
One of the problems that is being
attacked at the Dickinson station is an
increase of hardness in winter wheat
to such a degree that it may be grown
with comparative certainty in North
Dakota. To solve this problem success
fully would mean the addition yearly of
millions of dollars of wealth to the
state. l believe that the end can be
obtained, in the course of a dozen OF
fifteen years. but the work is no child's
work, nor al the farmer do it. although
he can helm. II iS the work Of the