Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-12-04
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MINI. AGRICULTURAL DEVELOP.
MENT CONGRESS TO Be IL
H. NEW NAME. =.
APPROPRIATION ASKED.
Governor Eberhart and Maude Bal.
llnqton Booth Close ses-
slons Saturday ;,
Night. i,


servation and agricultural congress
has become a permanent organization.
Tho word Conservation" has been
dropped from it's name, however.
1t was unanimously decided at Sat
urday mornings session that another
meeting should be held next year and
annually thereafter. The name Of the
organization will be the Minnesota Az
ricultural Development congress.
A resolution was passed asking the
legislature to pass law authorizing
the governor to appoint Minnesota
agricultural development commission.
The legislature will be asked to ap-
propriate enough money to take care
pf the permanent organization. It
was also decided to have the perma-
nent chairman Of the congress draft
the bill.
Time Debated.
There was some debate regarding
the time for the next meeting. Some
wanted it to take place the first week
In December of next year and others
wanted it the first week in January,
1914. The matter was finally left to
the executive board for decision.
Dan A. Wallace, of st. Paul, advo
Gated state agricultural department
to take up the work now being done
by large number of boards, in an
address delivered at the conservation
congress Saturday morning.
I'm studying the work which other
states are doing for agriculture, it
seems to me that It would be an emil
nently practical idea for US to have
In the state of Minnesota a depart
ment or commission of agriculture, in.
stead Of having confusion of boards
and commissions for the administra.
ton of agricultural affairs of the
state" he said. "Why should we not
supplant this idea with a systematized
organization of bureaus grouped under
q state department of agriculture"
State Agricultural Society Scored.
Mr.. Wallace attacked the work OF
the Minnesota Agricultural society
He said:
'The annual meeting of the Min
nesota Agricultural society is really
but a political convention in miniature,
the effective result of the educational
features Of the program being practi
cally nullified. This is great misfor
tune, for there is really serious need
Of at least one great conference each
year where agriculture is the CHIEF
and only theme for discussion. The
situation has become so acute in the
affairs of the Minnesota Agricultural
society that it is quite possible that
the educational features of the annual
meeting will be entirely divorced from
the ordinary business session, the afil.
lated organizations preferring to hold
their meetings in different parts of
the state where they can; be free from
the atmosphere of politics which is
always present at the St. Paul and
Minneapolis meetings. Under a state
department of agriculture the state
and county fairs are merely one feat.
ure of the work of the department.
Constructive Legislation Wanted.
IF you would inquire what is wrong
with the present administrative func.
lions Of the state in relation to agri.
culture, it seems to me that the gen.
eral statement would hold true that
there is at the present time lack of
sufficient constructive legislation for
the protection Of agricultural inter-
ests," continued Mr.. Wallace. There
Is likewise a lack of direct RESPONSE
bility on the part of the various state
bureaus and commissions, there is
lack of intelligent information as to
our soil, and a woeful lack of stats.
teal information. There is a dupli-
cation Of work, there is the harmful
effect of political atmosphere, which
leads to constant scandal, and worst
of all serious lack of business eff
cheney. Though I do not know that
state department of agriculture
would straighten out all of these diff
culties, however, our present method
suggests confusion, whereas a plan Of
state department of agriculture pro.
vides orderly organizations"
H. R. Smith, professor of animal
husbandry at the agricultural college,
spoke on "Dairying and Live Stock as
Means of Developing the North.
vest" at the morning session of the
congress.
There has never been a time in
the history of the United States when
there has been a greater need for the
development of the live stock industry
than now, and there is no section of
the country where the need is more
urgent than in the Northwest" said
Professor Smith.
prices are high on animal products
because there is a scarcity of live
stock" he said. "How could we ex
pect anything but high prices on beef
in view of the fact that there are
eight per cent less beef cattle in total
and 81 per cent less beef steers in the
country today than 10 years ago
whereas there are 81 per cent more
people to feed"
Professor Smith said that the farm
ers OF Minnesota and other western