The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-01-24

force, he says. is the thing that is
needed. We need genuine interest to
make it go. BY the time the course
opens, he says, we will have 500 peo-
pie interested and In attendance. The
short courses, he stated, are abso-
lutely the greatest thing he has ever
seen in the extension work. 1t re-
generates and rejuvenates the boys
and girls, and it takes hold of every
body, the bankers, merchants and
everybody else. He says they get 200
people to sign subscription to cover
possible deficit in expenses. The
people come in for hundreds of
miles around. The interest is so great
that the college gets one hundred to
two hundred demands for the short
courses every year, but they do not
have instructors for more than 40
courses.
North Yakima, here in the center
of the valleys, is an ideal location
for a short course in horticulture,
which should be conducted annually.
The Y. M. c. A. has good equip
ment for such work. There would be
great enthusiasm If Prof. Thornton,
Prof. O'Gara or Prof. Melander or
other strong educators were an
nounced to conduct a short course in
horticulture. Our orchardists need
this instruction and the enthusiasm
that would result from such a course
of study, with several hundred Coop
Grating
Support the Mckinley Bill
To summeriZe--I hope this broth
erhood after full discussion will unite
with farmers organizations and
bankers associations in supporting
the Mckinley bill for agricultural ex-
tension work and that the strong per-
sonnet of this organization personally
as well as the Brotherhood itself will
lend their energies to forwarding this
measure. Our congressman should be
written and our fellow business men
informed.
2. Our valley high schools should
be encouraged to teach horticulture
and agriculture. Our superintendent
and principals and teachers are anx-
ious for cooperation and assistance
from business men and orchardists.
They want to bring our schools to
the front rank and give our boys and
girls the best training. 1 think the
great thing needed here is informa-
ton, knowledge of the wonderful
success Of vocational, especially agri-
cultural, education wherever tried,
and our people will be aroused and
enthused as they have been in other
states. / know of no banker q.
school man who has studied this ag-
ricultural extension work but has be-
come convinced and enthusiastic that
the same work be extended to his
state and locality. I hoped to have
some pamphlets here which are now
being published by State Secretary
Kaufman of the Bankers Association
will have them later for you.
8. 1 think we should endeavor to
get weekly or monthly suggestive bull
letins sent out by our state inspector
and state colleges.
A. 1 think we should start at once
to secure short course on horticul-
ture, writing the State College to see
what they are willing to do and
getting the Commercial club or Y. M.
c. A. to arrange for the short course
next winter.
s. The Yakima Valley should GER
tainly secure one, perhaps two, state
experiment stations, which 1 UNDER
stand the State College has been will
ing to establish.
6. 1t is also possible to secure a
man from the Department of Agri-
culture to make tests and expert
ments on the best methods of hand
ling apples for shipment and cold
storage. This work in California, it
is said, has resulted in saving mil
lions of dollars for the California
orange men.
Practical Phases of the Work
These are all definite, practical
phases for US of agricultural extern
sion and development work.
When you reflect that agriculture
is the basis of all our prosperity; that
our ten billion dollars a year of ag-
ricultural products is our big national
asset, you will catch the bigness of
the problem of doubling or quadrup-
ling our assets.
Shall we let our nation degenerate
into the very rich and very poor. The
boys and girls have been leaving the
farm because the profits of the aver
age farmer are too small, social and
educational advantages too few, la
Dor too long and hard.
The "back-to-t he-soil' cry is time
ly. The problem before lr> is the food
problem. Not many vacant r>nds are
left, our population is increasing.
Some years ago two-thirds of our
people, Were producers; now one-third
and the proportion constantly de-
creasing.
and take the results of scientific in
vestigation and education out to the
farmer?