The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1914-12-31
''The County Expert"


County Agriculturist for another yea
the county court has again place.
Malheur county among the leading
sections Of the west for progressive
ness in matters pertaining to agricul
ture and farm advancement. There II
no doubt that the County Agriculturis'
is a prominent factor in the up-build'
ing of the rural community and in the
solving of agricultural problems.
The farm expert" as he Is some
times called, finds that the success OF
his work is due In large degree to the
spirit Of cooperation which he re-
ceives from the farmers. The County
Agriculturist is not necessarily an
expert" in all the term implies, but
he is more in the nature Of an advisor.
Having made a study Of agricultural
work, taken up in a scientific manner,
he Is in a position to greatly aid the
practical farmer. As a rule the
farmers knowledge Of his work has
been gained by hard experience. Ex-
perience is good teacher, and a
thorough one, but nevertheless n hard
one.
In the present day OF intensified
farming II has been found that es-
pericnce Is also costly teacher, and
that much expense and worry could be
avoided by applying to farm problems
a little science together with liberal
amount Of common sense.
The County Agriculturist is coming
into his own. Farmers are gradually
realizing his usefulness and are ac.
cepting his services in the spirit in
which they are offered.
During the past fall il was the
pleasure Of the editor to visit in Linn
county, Kansas. Linn county has n
"farm expert" The expert" was
holding "A series Of public meetings in
different sections of the county at the
time, and the editor attended one Of
them. This meeting was called at night
in the opera house of one Of the lead
ing towns of the county, and ! was
surprised at the number of people at
tending. Several hundred farmers,
including men and women, were in
attendance, and the meeting was en-
thusiastic as well as harmonious. At
that meeting the principal topic was
hog cholcra-not exactly an agricul-
tural problem, but certainly a farm
problem. After the meeting | met
the agriculturist and expressed sur.
prise at the wide interest shown in
his work.
Linn county was largely settled up
before the civil war, and in many in
stances the same man is still farming
the same piece of land he has owned
and titled since the civil war, IL is
natural these farmers should resent
the offered advice Of "new conner"
into the community. We are all prone
To resent advice, even from old time
friends, as TO how our own business,
with which we are well acquainted,
should be run, After a man has
farmed the same piece of land, year
after year, for thirty or forty odd
years, il is natural that he would be-
lieve he knew all about that piece of
land.
The Linn county "expert" explained
how he succeeded in overcoming pre-
judice and in interesting SO many
farmers. What was needed there was
a rotation of crops. For instance, the
growing of corn, year after year, on
the same piece of ground, robbed the
soil of a certain property necessary to
raising good crop, The farmer won
dered why his corn wasn't as good
this year as last, and in nine out of ten
cases, attributed it to the weather or
To his bad luck, and tried again the
next year.
The "expert" proved, however, that
by alternating the corn crop with some
other crop, equally as profitable, per-
haps, that the properties which corn
took from the soil, could be built up or
replaced by the alternating crop, and
thus good crop could be produced
each year. Ii took patience, determi-
nation and hard work to win out, but
the theory was correct and success
finally attained.
Conditions are different in this sec
tion, however. The western farmer is
more progressive than his Middle
Western neighbor, and more readily
realizes the value Of aid that will help
him raise better crops.
No Agriculturist can "know il all"
and as rule does rot claim to. But
ne can offer many valuable sugges-
ions, and where his advise does not
,ost anything, it certainly can do no
larm TO listen 10 IL, MT least,