The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1912-11-21
Agricultural Extension Work.

EDITOR OF NEWS HERALD:
In recent issue of this paper men,
tion was made of proposed County
Experiment Farm or of trained ex-
pert to advise with farmers and land
owners, and of the efforts being made
to secure one or both for Highland
county.
The U. S. Department of Agricul-
ture, the various xleriment stations
and the colleges of agriculture have
for years been at work investigating,
experimenting and collecting knowl-
edge of value to farmers. This infor-
nation has been disseminated through
bulletins, the press and students, far-
mers institutes and extension schools
are important helps, but there is some
thing more needed and such need is
being met by demonstration farms,
local experiment farms and by county
or district experts.
Several county experiment farms
have been establish in Ohio and they
are good thing, but there is needed a
special tax to raise funds for purchas-
ing and equipping such farm and for
running expenses. The initial expense
would be perhaps $40, 900, and the rum
ming expenses though small mus
necessarily be greater than the sale of
produce each year.
In Highland county there are two
distinct soil types and test farm on
one type would be of little value to
those farming on the other kind of
soil; for instance, the soil of the east
ern and nothern parts of the county is
naturally well drained, is mostly clay
loan and is we'll suited to corn,
clover, orchard grass and blue grass,
while the soil of the western and
southwestern sections is mostly clay
that needs through underdrainage be-
fore corn or clover will succeed and is
better suited to timothy and red top
for hay. This division is general,
though the characteristic soils of each
section are distinctly different.
The demonstration farms have been
established in several southern states
by the U. S. Department of Agricul.
ture to induce the landowners to get
away from the one crop system, sc
ruinous to their land, and to raise
corn, alfalfa, pork and dairy products
instead of only cotton or tobacco.
These farms were helpful in study
ing into the habits of and in finding {
remedy for the cotton boil weavil, thu
breeding of animals and plants i'm
mune to disease and other problems
However the objec of demonstra
tion and test work are nearly identi
cal in Ohio and could all be attaine'
without duplication of labor expense
One argument against the county tes
farm is that very few people would g
to see the work or to study the results
The trained expert could 60 to tn
farmer, study his soil and farm con
ditions and be able to offer helpful
: suggestions, supervise soil or crop test
and to answer the numerous question
farmers ask each other, or any on
! who has some knowledge of the techn
1 cal side of farming or Of the under
lying scientific principles.
After making careful study of az
ricultural extension, as it is termet
i and knowing something Of what
hoped to be accomplished, and tn
needs AMI wishes of the farmers then
selves, the writer wishes to advis
that the county expert be tried frs
/ then the test farm or even the towI
t ship expert may be secured II deman
D and results justify such course.
: w. e. DUoKwALL.