Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-09-12
GOVERNMENT
WILL FURNISH
INFORMATION

Secretary Hofer, manager Of the
publicity department of the Salem
Board Of Trade, has closed a contract
with the government whereby farm
management office of the Department
OF Agriculture will be established at
Salem and Mr.. L. ]. Chaplin has been
selected as the soil expert to take
charge OF the work. He can be found
at his desk in the Board of Trade Of
flee and consulted at any time. His
territory will be confined to an area
surrounding Salem.
He will conduct farm management
field studies and demonstrations
among the farmers. He will acquaint
himself as rapidly as possible with the
general agricultural conditions Of the
locality, study the various types Of
soils, the crops that have been found
to be best adapted. and the types OF
farming that have been most success
full on each type Of soil. He will
spend his entire time in the interests
OF improved farming in the section,
studying the methods and practices Of
the most successful farmers who are
following the various types OF farm
ing. He will visit the farmers on their
farms. study their plans, and aid them
in formulating better plans.
He will study in detail the methods
OF the farmers in preparing their land
for seeding, the methods of cultiva-
ton. the kind OF fertilizer used, the
kinds OF seed, how 1t is selected and
kept, how the crop is gathered and
disposed OF. He will study the live
stock on the various farms, the meth
DDS Of handling the stock He will
study every phase Of all the farms he
visits so that he may know that meth
ods, crops and systems are best for
the locality. and at all times wherever
he goes he will give the farmers the
benefit Of the results Of scientific in
vestigatiOns conducted by the various
experiment stations and the US. De-
partmentof Agriculture relating to all
kinds Of farm practice
He will study the agricultural pos
sibilities and tendencies Of the locality
and study the relations Of the agricul-
tuIe Of the county TO that Of the neigh
boring counties and the state. He will
study market conditions, means Of
transportation, and shipping facilities
BY the time he has become ac-
Quainted with each farmer in the To-
cality together with the type OF farm
ing he is conducting and the methods
and practices that he uses, he should
have acquired a knowledge OF the ag-
riculture OF that locality which will
enable him to quickly analyze the sit
ustiOn on any farm he may visit, de-
tect defects in the cropping systems
and general management and at the
same time note any Improvements
that may exist over methods in COM
mon use. Such a study will enable
him to advise the farmers In
the establishment Of better cropping
systems on their farms, in the intelli-
gent selection OF better livestock, bet
ter seed and better markets. He be-
comes an agricultural adviser to the
farmers OF that section and his oppOr-
tunities for broad study Of general
conditions enable him to understand
better than any one else the direction
in which the agriculture Of that local
ity should be directed
, His work among the farmers not
only enables him to know the best
practices which will result in the
greatest yield Of crops per acre and
the greatest financial returns to the
farm. but be works towards the or
/, ganization OF the local people into as
scciatiOns and societies for the gener-
81 improvement Of their financiOl, ed
ucational and social conditions.