Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-05-13
The Scientific Farmer Show
ing the Average Farmer
How to Farmer
Seventeen Field Men Con-
tending with Conditions
as They Find Them

least it is new application or new
idea on which North Dakota may no
have the patent for originality, blu
which that state is the first to maxi
practical use of. Mr.. J. J Hill wal
driving at the same thing when II
recent talks on better farming he
has rather minimized the importance
of agricultural education in the
schools Of agriculture, and insisted
that no agricultural teaching or dem.
onstrating was worth anything thai
was not done on the farm under the
conditions with which the farmer him
self had to cotnend.
It is not necessary to underesti
mate the value of experiment station
ork and such work as is done at the
school of agriculture in order to lay
proper emphasis upon the Importance
of carrying out theories of improved
farming in actual practice. North Da-
kota is doing both, but the undertak.
ing which is now attracting most at
tention is that under the direction of
Mr.. Thomas Cooper of Fargo, secre-
tary Of the North Dakota Better
Farming association
Where It Commenced.
Six or eight months ago there was
movement on foot in North Dakota
to promote better agriculture under
the name of the Hundred Dollar an
Acre club. This was largely a com.
mercial club boosting proposition and
engineered mainly by business men
In the towns.
Before it had proceeded very far,
however, another movement was or
ganized which has taken its place,
adopted its name and then discarded
the name for its present designation.
Better Farming association" It is
not without significance that in spite
of the unfriendly feeling entertained
in some rural districts against the
cities and all who live there-a feel
ing which is fostered by small pol
lt1cians and others who are hoping to
profit by 1t in some way-successful
business men in the cities have be.
come greatly interested in the i'm
provement of conditions under which
people live in the rural districts. The
bankers have been the most ACTIVE
promoters of agricultural education in
rural schools, and Of other agencies
calculated to stimulate interest on the
Part OF young people in rural commu.
mites in their rural pursuits.
A City Business Man Takes the Lead
1t was city business man who
took the initiative in this better farm
ing movement in North Dakota Mr.
A. r. Rogers Minneapolis lumber.
man, had number of yards in the
state. He found conditions so vari-
able-a demand in excess of supply
one year and practically no demand
the next, and no stability and little
growth in the business from year to
year in sections where his yards ex-
listed that he took the matter up with
responsible men of the state in public
and private life, and insisted that
something ought to be done to make
farming in North Dakota a more uni
formly successful occupation. He sue.
ceeded in interesting number of &C.
tive men and particularly residents of
Barnes, Stutsman, McHenry, Wells
and Ward counties.
The problem was to secure the adop-
ton OF better methods on the farms
Al association was formed which en-
gagged as director of that work Mr..
THOMAS Cooper for a long time iden.
tilted with the agricultural depart
ment OF the University of Minnesota,
and working in the Red river valley.
Mr.. Rogers put up the Importance Of
work of this kind so strongly to rail.
roads. to business men, that he was
able to raise in North Dakota and the
Twin City $4,000 each year for three
consecutive years. What to do and
how to do it was left to Mr. Cooper.
Demonstration Farms Discarded.
The plan as first contemplated was
demonstration farms That meant a.
not OF expense in securing plants and
did not then create conditions iden-
tical with those on the farm, produc-
ing results with the facilities with
whict the former was obliged to work.
So the demonstration farm proposition
was abandoned. The name of the or
ganization was changed from the One
Hundred Dollar an Acre club to the
Better Farming association.
Mr. Cooper, with a keen practical
appreciation Of the problem before
him decided that the only thing to do
was to secure a staff Of field work
ers who should go among the farmers,
deal with the conditions with which
the farmers have to deal, and show
them how to produce better results
18th the means they have to work with.
Scientific Farming Pays.
Seventeen men have been engaged
for that work and are now in the field.
Such men command good wages, some
Of them more than $500 year, while
the average is about $500. Their ex-
penses are paid while they are away
from home Their business is to go
among the farmers, advise with them
as to what is best to do under existing
conditions, and with the benefit of
their training and experience seek to
improve methods generally prevalent.
AT first, as might have been expected,
many farmers did not look with much |
favor upon the proffered advice and
assistance OF these field workmen,