The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1912-03-29
THE OREGON AGRICULTURAL Elk.
PERTINENT LEAGUE.
BY Leonard Carpenter, President

|
The Oregon Agricultural Expert
ment League was founded in the win
ter of 1911 for the purpose of inves
tigating, recording and experimenting
along agricultural lines throughout
the state of Oregon and those parts
of Washington which have similar
agricultural conditions.
The men and women who were in
lstrumental in forming the League
had come together from all over the
Northwest to attend the Short Course
work given by the Oregon Agricul
tural College. They were people who
had met with variety of problems
all of which needed solution and
concerning many of which no data
were available.
The increase in the output of agri
culture and the greater efficiency
which is all the time being made in
this industry, is largely due to the
more scientific farming which, in
turn, is the result of the experiments
carried on by the different expert
ment stations.
The scope of the single experiment
er or a single experiment station is
limited by time, distance and ade
quate means of carrying on many
experiments at one time. Thus Il
may happen and, in truth, is happen
ing right now in Oregon that a
great many problems of the utmost
economic and scientific importance
must wait for their solution until the
corps of workers has sufficient time
to investigate them. In another mat.
ter, also, the State Experiment Sta.
tion is handicapped. This. from the
fact that the Station necessarily is
at one point in the state and even
with the establishment of branch ex-
pertinent stations it is able to inves.
tlgate only small portion of the
state at first hand.
The Experiment League was formed
to cooperate with the Agricultural
College and the Experiment Station
in the solution of the problems in
various branches of the industry
throughout the state. By having a
large number of investigators scat
tered through every district, each one
carrying on the experiments which
are germane to his business, it is
certain that such a quality of data
can be collected as to very consider
ably lessen the time necessary for
the solution of problems Of great
economic value to every agriculturist.
me League is carrying on expert
ments in nine different departments
OF agriculture, namely, animal hus-
bandry, poultry husbandry, horticul-
ture, vegetables, landscape gardening,
entomology, pathology, dairying, and
agronomy. There are some eighty
dlnerent experiments all told, each
OF which Is considered of prime i'm
portance. The experiments are so
outlined that they can be carried on
with the regular farm work with
practically no extra cost and with
an amount of extra labor varying en-
tirely upon the experiment, but usu-
|ally amounting to little more than
the careful tabulation of the data.
Examples of the necessity of such
an organization as the League are
l0f common occurrence. Such ques-
tions as the amounts of hay to feed
to horses; whether natural or artifi-
cial incubation of eggs is the best:
the adaptability of different fruit
trees to different parts of the state:
will the hill selection of potatoes in
crease the yield; what are the best
ornamental vines in Oregon; the
onion thrips; seed treatment of
spring oats; numerous factors con-
corning alfalfa growing; numerous
factors concerning irrigation; are of
instant Importance to almost every
up-to-date agriculturalist. These are
but a few examples of the questions
which are asked by the thousands
every year and for which no definite
answers have ever been worked out.
The membership of the League has
increased rapidly since its start and |
there are now being carried on some
thing over one hundred experiments. |
The results from these will not be |
available for some time but it is /
good to know that a band of ener-
getic, far-seeing men and women are |
interested in the contin-
led developmet of. this great indus
-ry to carry on this line of work as
planned by the College specialists.
In order to keep in touch with the |
one of the agricultural pa
pers, issued every month at the |
College, runs an Experiment League
department. through which the men,
befs can be kept constantly informed
Of what Is going on in the League.
The object Of the League has been
to interest as many ''live wires" as
possible in its aims in order to more |
fully carry these out in the shortest
time possible. With this in view,
also, the officers of the League were
chosen from the different branches
of agricultural activity and from
widely different parts of the state.
Leonard Carpenter, of Medford is
president. the vice-presidents are
Mr., A. w. Peters, of Hood River;
K. Booth, of Yoncalla; Mrs. Ellen
Briggs, of Portland and Mr.. John r,
10y, of Buena Vista. Mr.. Stanton
iritils, OF Medford, is secretary, and
Mr., A. j. Johnson, of Corvallis, treas