Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1911-08-11
National Demonstration Farms
Are Without Doubt Doirg
Practical Good.
SYSTEM AS IT IS IN GEORGIA
Nest Improved Methods Shown, and
tho Principle Of Intensive cultIva-
tion Made an Object Lesson to
Whole Commu.
nltv

Judging by the way demonstration
work Ia spreading all Americans must
have strain of the Missouri stock.
Everybody wants to be shown. The
farmers don't always want it. at first.
They are apt to think they know all
there is to be known about their own
Job. But they soon learn that the
demonstration can show them a trick
or two. 49,, ,,~
The government has been starting
demonstration farms all over the
country. Now one Of the greatest
manufacturers Of farm machinery ia
taking hand. The idea of the Unit
ed States demonstration work is to
get frst farm worked under gov.
eminent methods, the farm being TN
charge OF q paid agent or county dem
who works under the direc-
ton Of state agent. Last year some
thrifty counties in Georgia were under
this system. ,..,:< s.l
: The first farm In each. county start,
ed becomes known as the government
demonstration farm. As much public,
1ty is given a. possible, and farmers
are invited to come to; that farm,
watch the methods Of cultivation. SEQ
the results in the growing crops and
compare these results with their own
crops under tho older methods.
Another phase Of this work is that
by which the county .demonstrator In.
duces farmers throughout the county
to work one acre according to sched,
ule methods. just to- try 1t out Evt
cry farm on which the improved meth,
DDS specified are used becomes an OBJ
jeot lesson to that immediate neigh.
borhood.
when our firm established test
and: plant breeding farm in Troup
county. Ga$"" writes a:southern seeds
man In Progress, I'VE had no idea
Of making 1t q demonstration farm.
In carrying on that farm, however,
we used what we knew to be the best
methods, although they ran counter to
the general cotton growing practice
Of that section. While the farmers
who watched, our first years efforts
did not condemn our methods as bad;
they did express the opinion that We
were taking a heap Of unnecessary
- trouble, .,-<.,u...
when our crops turned out about
double the yield an acre that theirs
did they were convinced that there
was something in those better meth,
DDS after all. and they are now fol-
lowed In greater or less degree in
that vicinity. We were told recently
that the cotton crop of that part Of
Troup county has increased some "a
per GEN.. through the use Of better
methods since our work began"
The machinery making company ia
establishing headquarters for farm ma.
chinery demonstrations in three of the
southeastern states this year. In Mis-,
sissippi and Alabama two sixty acre
farms nave been established. In Geor
gia an arrangement has been made ia
carry on this farm machinery demon,
stration work on the Hastings farm OF
over 5000 acres at Trimble, Ga.
The company will erect a model
building for the housing or storage OF
farm machinery when not in use, en-,
couraging in this way the right care
Of machinery and prolonging it's active
life. In that building will be assem-,
bled every class of implement manu-
featured by the concern that is adapt
ed to use in this section, and these i'm
plements will be in regular use on this
farm open at all times to the inspec
ton of the public.
If any farmer wishes to see how
a machine works, whether it will an
swer his purpose or not, he will al
any time have an opportunity of In
specting it in field use before he pur
chases. All this demonstration worh
OF various kinds-farm machinery
fertilizer. better seeds, new kinds Of
crops-is educational, the kind of ed
ucation that pays in better financial
and social conditions in the coupntry
which in turn benefits the business
interests of the city.