The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-04-04
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In an interview with Forum re-
porter Prof. w. c. Palmer. who has
been with the Farmers Institutes this
winter stated that he had never seen
better interest In the work after the
meeting closed" sald Professor Palmer,
the farmers would crowd around the
speakers asking further questions, on
the street and at the hotels, and often
they would come to our room, eager
for the information
Many cases were very pathetic
where money and labor had been put
into raising crops with no crop, leav-
ing the family without means and even
without seed and feed for the horses,
just at the point where they must give
up and crop failure would mean the
loss Of the farm and all. 1t is hard
to realize what ii means to these peo-
pie to get the knowledge that will
enable them to grow a crop with GER
tainty. That 1t can be done is dem
onstrated by the fact that a good
many farmers had good crops while
across the road the crop would be a
failure. One needs to meet these peo-
pie to hear their stories to realize
what hopes, what ambitions, what
faith fingers on the growing of a sue
cessful crop. Who will be able to
Sense the tragedy of crop failure
this year? II 1t comes it will be from
lack Of knowledge of how to handle
the soil.
I'VE have been very fortunate in
the men who have made up the Farm
ers' institute corps. No state has had
men OF such high standing on it's in
stitute platform. Thomas Shaw, the
great agricultural expert OF the
Guelph Agricultural college. started as
a farmer in Ontario, then took the
chair of animal husbandry in the Min
nesota college Of agriculture, and to-
day 1t is hard to find an agricultural
college that does not have one or more
men in II trained by the professor.
He has been editor and associate edi-
tor of some Of the greatest farm jour-
nails and at present he is associate
editor of The Dakota Farmer and
agricultural expert for the Great
Northerh and Northern Pacific rail-
roads. Last year he had charge OF
forty-five demonstration farms for the
Great Northern in Montana. He will
run them this year again and on ac-
count of the demonstration farm APP
preparation being vetoed, he will run
some ten demonstration farms for the
N. p. railroad in North Dakota. In
no one have the farmers more con-
fidence.
20. G. Gregg, forty-five years ago
took up a homestead in southwest
ern Minnesota, eighty miles from a
railroad. Here he has lived since.
Starting with grain farming he has
developed his farm into a winter dairy.
So successfully did he carry it on that
he was called to be superintendent
Of the Farmers institute, which posi-
lion he held for twenty-five years. nc
is In great demand as a Farmers in
sLitute lecturer, and has worked n
more than half the states of the union
| i" Col. r.. A. Wilkinson started farm.
| irg In the Red river valley in the early
SOS. He began with grain farming
and worked up to dairy farming. He
travelled extensively all over North
Dakota before any railroad was bull
through the state. and has since beer
in close touch with the states devel.
opment
Hoverstad's ability as a lecturer and
conductor, as practically every one ir
North Dakota is familiar with his
knowledge of local conditions in the
state, of his saying and doing the right
thing at the right time, and his dry
hunor that puts life and spirit intl
meeting.
'Tn addition to these, such men from
the agricultural college as Pres. J. II
Worst, Dean j. III. Shepperd. Profes.
sors Waldron, Dolve. Randlett, Martin
and Bolley. and Superintendent Wal
6ron of Dickinson, Superintendent
Louxon Of Hettinger. Superintendent!
Thompson of Edgeley addressed many
of the meetings.
When questioned as to how he
thought the institutes could be i'm
proved Professor Palmer said that two
day meetings should be held at o
great many more places than now.