Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-09-06
Object CT lie Work and Results
Cbtained-SCme of the
Prominent Features.
GOING 70 TIE FARM ROmE3
Thirteen Campaigns Have Been Car
ried on in Michigan, Ohio and Hi
nois-Hoiden's plan Meets Warm
Reception With the Farmers.


tending agricultural knowledge.
Holden was the originator Of agri-
cultural demonstration trains; OF ag-
ricultural short courses, and many
other effective plans, through the
agency Of which millions OF dollars
have been added TO the agricultural
wealth OF this country.
The latest plan OF Holden is to
place alfalfa upon every farm. There
are three prominent features in his
plan:
ID The introduction Of a compare
lively new crop into the Corn
Belt, Southern and Eastern
states.
. (2) Going direct to the homes CT tho
farmers, where meetings are
held in the fields. and success
and failure discussed according
TO local conditions.
CD The use of that most modern We
hicle-the automobile.
Purpose of Campaign.
The primary purpose OF the cam
I:sign is 20 show the American farmer
that alfalfa is the most profitable crop
he can grow; that it can be grown
| proftaGly upon every farm; that 1t ell
riches the soil; increases farm values;
stimulates live stock growing and dali
rying; produces double that Of other
hay crops, and is better feed.
Thirteen campaigns have thus far
been successfully conducted in Mich.
igan, Ohio and Illinois.
Some of the Results,
Results of the Kent county GIich.)
camnaign are:
81 Six thousand farmers visited ut
their homes during a fve-0ay
campaign.
t2) Thirty-two meetings held.
60 Three hundred and seventy-Cve
miles Travelled b. the Alfalfa Ell
tomoble Train.
% One hundred and thi1ty-six alfalfa
talks made by the Holden staff
of alfalfa lecturers.
Cd Many applications for similar cam.
paigns from all parts of the
United States.
The Kent county campaign has been
! followed by campaigns in Ailegan,
| Barry, Grand Traverse and St Claii
counties, Michigan; Van Vert, Marion
Fulton, Williams and Champaign coun.
ties, Ohio: and Sangamon, DuPGSe
and Kane counties, Illinois.
Great Meeting in Ohio.
At one meeting in Ohio upon the
farm of Joseph E. Wing, near Mechan.
icsburg, nearly 1000 people gathered
from all parts of Ohio and adjoining
! states to learn more about alfalfa. AT
this great meeting the Ohio State Al.
falfa Growers association was organ.
lied. Over 900 automobiles made up
the alfalfa train. 1t is recorded as
| the greatest agricultural assemblage
In the history of Chic. Other Ohio
| counties where the work has been
taken up report success On every
! hand.
Sangamon and Kane counties, Hi.
nois, have both conducted great cam.
! paigns. At one meeting in Williams.
vile, ILL.,, over 1900 farmers came to
hear the alfalfa lecturers.
In all of these campaigns which
were conducted within q period of
about two months nearly $4,000 farm
ers have been reached with the COS.
pei of alfalfa.
AS a result also of the campaign
work it is consorvatively estimated
that 100000 acres Of alfalfa will be
seeded during this and the coming
season.
Such Is the result Of the initial work
OF campaigning for alfalfa, but vastly
more than this tangible result has
been accomplished. Every farmer
throughout the region where the work
was conducted is talking about al
falfa. The cooperation of the schools
in the territory is a very important
and effective feature. School officials.
from the highest to the lowest, have
never failed to appreciate the oppor.
tunity.
Professor Holden has expressed
himself as considering it the most
wonderful experience and the most
beneficial trip from the farm stand
point that he has ever taken.
But this is not all-wherever the
farmers of any community are inter-
ested in the growing Of alfalfa, when
possible follow-up man. thorough in
his knowledge of alfalfa culture, will
be sent out to assist them in getting
start. He will live with the
farmers and aid them in solving
the problems at home. He will
go from farm to farm upon re-
quest and study success and failure.
Before the coming of 1914 cam
paigns will have been conducted in
every part of the United States and
Canada. Interest is growing SO rap
I idly that many counties have organized
campaigns and undertaken the work