Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-08-13

es, for assistance IN such lines Of
work as testing milk, testing seed
corn, grating and pruning orchards,
taking grade for drainage bitches,
assistance in purchasing various
kinds Of pure bred live stock, the
balancing Of feed rations, the treat
ment Of hog cholera, the planting of
certain crops, planning Of rotations
for farms, and in many other ways,
which l can not at this time recall.
SchooIhouse Meetings.
eve have held during the year the
following meetings.: twenty-five rur-
al school house evening meetings,
twenty-five day visits to the asso-
ciated schools, fourteen meetings of
a more general nature, where either
Mr.. McNelly or the Superintendent
has taken part, three Farmers In
stitutes, two teachers meetings, one
Stock Breeders Association meeting,
one Farmers Short Course Week
and two luncheons where the rural
school officers were in attendance,
and the agricultural work of the As
ISOLATED school was taken up. The
average attendance at the rural
school house evening meetings has
been thirty-four this year as COM
pared with twenty-six last year. The
three Farmers Institutes averaged
one hundred, the Stock Breeders
Association meeting had an attend
ance Of over two hundred, while the
enrolment at the Farmers Short
Course was five hundred nine as
compared to an enrolment last year
of two hundred sixty-three. There
were a large number who attended
some of the sessions, but who did
not enroll. The total attendance
during the week for the sessions was
approximately four thousand, while
the attendance at all other meetings
during the year was about two thou
sand five hundred forty-four, making
grand total Of nearly seven thou
sand, which does not include the
work done in the day visits to the
rural schools.
Work of the Summer.
''The work for the present spring
and summer, which has been planned
by the Superintendent and agricul-
tural instructor, and which we hope
may be successfully accomplished,
as follows: the general study and
Judging Of corn in the rural schools ;
the interesting of boys and girls in
the raising Of pure bred poultry, both
in town and in the surrounding
country; the growing Of home gard
ems; the conducting Of seven demon
stration tracts of not less than five
acres each, in conjunction with the
agricultural extension department.,
on farms near Willmar; the interest
ing of men in the corn contests dur
ing the summer; the carrying on of
a separate contest in corn for boys;
encouraging boys and girls and
grown people in raising and making
things for exhibition at the County
Fair; the preparation and growing Of
a school industrial exhibition to be
shown at the State Fair next fall !;
certain demonstrations and expert
ments, orcharding, and farm gard
ening on the school demonstration
farm; encouraging and assisting in
the choice and selection and impor-
tation Of pure bred live stock; the
organizing and conducting Of COW
testing association; and the carrying
on Of such other extension work as
time and occasion may suggest.
Some Of the work as suggested here
has already been started, and good
progress made. The corn study and
judging in the rural schools has been
completed, the corn contest work for
men and boys is under way, impor
tation Of pure bred stock has begun
and work in cow testing is now be-
ing carried on with sixteen farmers.
In this connection the farmers agree
to weigh all milk, both night and
morning, and keep record Of the
same, and Mr.. McNelly agrees that
once a month he will visit each farm
and take samples of the milk, make
tests Of The same to determine the
butter fat content and figure the to-
tai butter fat for the month. It is
believed that this work will clearly
demonstrate to the farmers the diff
ference between good and poor COWS,
the Importance Of proper housing,
care and feeding Of dairy COWS, and
the value of more and better live
stock upon the farm as we'll as the
necessity for the erection Of more
silos and the need for growing more
corn.
The Normal Department.
"Normal Department: The Normal
Department Of our schools has now
been in operation for three years. In
a number Of places i am told that
the normal department has not fitted
in well with the rest of the system,
and that there is friction and gener-
al dissatisfaction to the point that
the normal department is to be drop