The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1901-1982, 1913-01-30
DEMONSTRATION
FARMS FOR R. R.
CONWAY WILL GET ONE
THREE IN ARKANSAS, TWO IN
LOUISIANA AND ONE IN
MISSOURI.

The Missouri Pacific-Iron Mountain
system, under the direction of its ag
ricultural department, is establishing
the most extensive system of demon
stration farms to cooperate with the
farmers along its lines yet undertake
en- by an American railroad. The
company has already established five
large demonstration farms and ex-
poets to soon have a sixth in opera
! ton. One of these farms is located
two miles south of Conway, known as
the Turner farm. These farms range
! in size from % to 40 acres which
makes the undertaking the most pre-
tentious yet inaugurated. Work will
be conducted along the same lines as
the government demonstration farm
work, but will be on a much larger
scale which will make it relatively
more valuable.
At present the farms will be confin-
ed to the tracks of the Iron Mountain
railroad, three being in Arkansas and
two in Louisiana. The sixth is to be
somewhere on the company's tracks
in southern Missouri, the exact loca-
ton not having been decided.
All the farms will be under the
general supervision of L. A. Mark
ham, commissioner of agriculture of
the Missouri Pacifc-Iron Mountain,
with headquarters at Little Rock. Mr..
Markham was formerly in the service
of the U. S. agricultural department.
The o. S. department of agriculture
will cooperate directly in conducting
these farms and have field agents
representing them, and the state ag-
ricultural colleges of Arkansas and
Louisiana, C. w. Watson and Mason
Snowden, state agents for Arkansas
and Louisiana, respectively, are CIV
ing unreserved cooperation in direct
ing the experiments.
Each farm is to have a resident
manager and each is to be located
along TIE IIdChS VI Ihc COMPANY
lines in close proximity to town.
The managers and towns near which
the farms so established are located
are as follows: G. M. Monroe, Glen
more, La; Tom Andrews, Mer Rouge,
La; J. J. Lowe, Dermott, Ark; j. w.
Turner, Conway, Ark, and W. P.
O'Neal, Hope, Ark.
The railroad will continue to expe-
riment for at least three years, re-
CARELESS of results, and if at the eX
piration of that time the work has
proved as successful as anticipated, 1T
will be continued indefinitely and both
the size and the number of the DEM
onstration farms will be increased.
Eventually it is contemplated to ex-
tend the work into Missouri Pacific
territory so as to cover the entire
Missouri Pacific-Iron Mountain tracks
with a chain of farms conducted on
modern scientific methods.
The experimental farms will be
strictly modern in all respects, be
supplied with modern implements, be
we'll stocked and literally furnished
with the best seed procurable. All
staple crops, together with forage
grasses and, where practicable, fruits
and vegetables will be grown. Accu-
rate crop records and statistics will
be kept showing the cost to produce
bushel of corn or oats, or a pound of
cotton, hay or other products.
Seed will be sold at reasonable
prices to farmers in the surrounding
country, and lessons in actual field
selection of seed will be given on the
ground by expert agriculturists.