Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-01-16
STUDENTS LISTEN
/. TO WEATHER MAN
Rock Island County Boys, at the
State University, Have In
teresting Day.

Especial Correspondence of The Argus)
Champaign, H., Jan. 14.-Much that
is of more than passing interest was
brought to the attention OF the short
course students at the agricultural col
Iege here today, and the Rock Island
county delegation was right on the job.
The day was passed without any cas-
ualties being reported and all were
going strong when the gong closed the
/ last lecture at 4:30.
In the morning the lecture was by
Professor c. G. Hopkins, the soil ex-
pert whose topic was Commercial
Fertilizers" He roundly scored the
National Fertilizer association, an or
ganization formed to prey upon the
ignorance of the farmer, selling under
the name of complete fertilizer" but
small proportions of the elements that
the soil actually needs and charging
an eSSSbitant price. Professor Hop
kins showed that phosphorus is the
only element that it is necessary to buy
and 1t can be obtained in the form of
ground phosphate rock at about one
tenth of the price that is paid for it in
the ordinary fertilizer prepared by
manufacturers.
Professor Willis R. Moore, chief of
the United States weather bureau, and
not unlikely to be the next secretary
of agriculture, paid a visit to the uni
versity today and spoke briefly before
the short course students. He lifted
his hearers up several miles above the
surface of the earth on the ascending
spiral of air that rises above areas of
low barometric pressure, and let them
down again on the descending spirals
that are found over areas of high baro-
metric pressure. On the journey he
explained several things. among them
the intricacies of the United States
weather map, which, to those who
were so fortunate as to hear him,
should henceforth be something less
undecipherable than the inscription on
a package of Chinese tea. Incidental
lly, Professor Moore appeared to- have
captured the entire Illinois delegation.
Perhaps greatest interest in the days
proceedings attaches to the lecture of
Dean Davenport, head of the agricul-
tural college, upon the work of the
school itself. The facts he gave were
so striking that some of them are
worth referring to.
In the beginning, the agricultural
college, virtually founded in 1901, is
now the largest in the country, with
S24 students. The agricultural build
ing, covering two acres. is crowded
and immediate extensions are neces-
sary. 1t is the intention to give up
the building to other uses and erect a
new and larger one north of the audi
forum, where the other structures used
by the same department will be group
ed around it.
Expenses of the school are now $751;
, 600 per day. Eighty branches are
taught and $4,000 letters written an
nually, nearly all replying to questions
: involving problems of agriculture All
: but nine counties in the state are rep
| resented among the students, and
there are many foreigners learning
American farm science, an even dozen
, Cinnamon being among the number
now attending. So well known is the
, institution abroad that distinguished
visitors from other states and other
, countries come here almost daily.
Extensive experiment fields are cul-
, tivated, and while this work is not as
far advanced here as in a number OF
? other states, Illinois will take first
4 rank in course of time if present plans
> are carried out When the stock judg.
, ing building now being erected is fin.
D ished it will be the finest arena in the
;, world used for that purpose
n In the last dozen years, while the
:. school has been making such a remark
= abel growth, the system of teaching, as
1 we'll as the subject matter taught, has
seen many changes. Until recently
] there have been nothing that could be
: classed as text books on agriculture
+ and it rested with the faculty to moi
= only map out courses, but to gather
;, original material for their lectures. Ii
r the beginning but few were qualified
o to act as teachers.
: Dean Davenport urged the teaching
Y of agriculture in all high schools anC
minor colleges in the state, the schoo
q here being unable, even with the rapid
5 expansion that is planned for 1t, u
# supply the demand for knowledge O
d the science of farming.
pI FACE pP0IIn 0E TAI Y