The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-09-01
COULTER WRITES
Of Recent TRIP
Tells Of Work Of Farm Com
mission. Which Studied
European Methods.

John Leo Coulter, the University
Of Minnesota faculty member who
was appointed by President william
Taft as a member Of the commission
to study European problems pertain
ing to agricultural development, and
who Is now in Washington, D. c..
with other members Of the commits
sion engaged in preparing. . report
to- submit to congress, has written
q. letter to Judge T. A. Sullivan Of
East Grand Forks in which he takes
up many features Of the work &C:
the conditions prevailing in those
Mr.. Coulter is a former Grand
Forks man. a graduate Of the Uni
versity Of North. Dakota, and his
father resides near this city.
After discussing the appointment
Of the commission and the plan Of
a brief statement Of each country
visited. These Included Italy. Aus
tria. Hungary. Russia. Germany, Den
mark. Belgium, Holland and France,
aud the British Isles.
Arc Well Received.
The commission was Hospitality
received through Europe. saps Prof.
SOOlS0Es 0uu lII0 IIlSluO0E0 VI tSu0
commission had an opportunity Of
meeting a great many Of the Euro
pean rulers. These rulers gave the
commission great assistance in car
rying o. their work, and among
those whom they were entertained
by were the king and queen of Italy;
the president Of France, members of
the Russian cabinet, and several
others.
Prof. Coulter began his work in
Italy where he was greatly impressed
with the spirit Of Cooperation SO
evident among the farmers. Dairying,
silk, vineyards and flowers are four
principal products Of the country.
and with their cooperate banks, Co
operative credit societies. etc, they
are very successful: In thessilk dis
principal production, farmers have
Joined in building warehouses for the
drying Of cocoons. In the flower
district they have organized societies
for the extraction of perfumes; in
the grape districts they have o
operative wine cellars. while in the
dairying districts they have co-opera-
tive cheese factories and diaries.
Many Co-Operative Societies.
Hungarian farmers have patterned
after the italian farmers. and have
Thousands Of cooperative societies for
various purposes. while Austria,
though somewhat backward In the
cooperative work, still ID. doing a
great deal Of such work. Both Aus
tria and Hungary. however. are some-
what backward as compared with
mission.
Russian farmers, and Prof. Coulter
writes particularly Of those who rose
In arms against h government only
a few weeks ago. are showing them
selves quite Independent. They are
organizing societies for mutual bene-
mt. and have resolved to handle their
government do 1t for them. There
is evidence Of prosperity and soil fer
tility in the vast wheat district Of
Russia. .a5+. AZ
In Bohemia Prof. Coulter. writes OF
his visit as being exceptionally inter-
esting, because he has had intimate
business connections with Bohemian
a resident Of Grand Forks. travelling
among Bohemian settlements near
this city quite frequently.
Belgium has Its cooperative farm
ers' stores, oranges. and unions; in
Holland the farmers. engaged in
datrytng, nave built q wonderful coun-
try from what was once the sea.
Magnificent drainage projects, SPLEEN
did farming methods, etc.. are por-
trayed5 as existing among the. Dutch.
In milk production, Prof. Coulter
declares that the Dutch farmer gets
fully fifty per cent more milk than
the average northwestern farmer
gets.
Denmark Makes Great Progress.
Denmark, with its cooperative
bacon factories, stores
and banks, has progressed probably
than any other European
country. Prof. Coulter suggests that
committee Of northwestern business
men should visit Denmark. contend
Ing that observations would be bene-
aciai to the entire country.
ireland IL far ahead of.>the others
81 the British Isles in the matter Of
development on the farm. The Irish,
Prof. Coulter. have been pattern
Ing after the Danes for fifteen or
twenty years, and have gotten. splen.
results.
The bitter p~artisanship- Of the home
and anti-home rule forces was
of. and at q dinner where
both leaders wer present, questions
were asked which the partisans
agreed might better be passed by.
It being agreed that they were SUBJ
jeets for political debate rather than
Of mutual discussion with:a -ommis-
sion seeking agricultural facts. 80.
A. <ho Hofa1c