Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-04-08
BETTER FARMING.
WHAT is BEING DONE IN MIN
NEsoTA.
LOYAL SON OF HANCOCK COUNTY
WRITES OF FARM DEMoNsTRA-
TIoN WORK THERE.
AITKIN, MINI, Feb. 20, 1871.


Although 1t has been thirty years since
took up my residence in Minnesota, and
while entirely loyal to the splendid state
OF my adoption, the old Pine Tree State
has warm place in my affections, and /
feel deep interest in everything that
pertains to its welfare, especially to that
OF Ellsworth and Hancock county.
The article in your paper on the annual
meeting OF the Merchants association
greatly interested me. Like my friend, Col.
c. c. Burrill, we'll remember W hen, in the
days of 1855 to rs, Ellsworth, with its
dozen or more mills running night and
day; with Water street crowded with
teams hauling mill products to the
wharves; with its docks lined with
schooners loading for various ports, was
one of the busiest little cities in Maine.
laundering is surely thing OF the past,
as the forests of pine and spruce are gone.
This is also true OF your shipbuilding,
since wooden ships and even schooners
are almost entirely supplanted by those OF
steel and steam.
Useless it is to mourn ''the days that are
no more, better be up and doing. sskeep-
ing step in the march of progress"
Among the committees appointed at this
meeting was one on agriculture.
was curious to know what the duties of
this committee are and how much OF an
effort II makes to increase the interest of
the farmers and the farmers boys in their
work. wondered if it holds meetings
to which competent speakers bring the
latest ideas in regard to crops, dairying,
poultry and hog-raising and other SUBJ
jects.
The business men OF Minnesota have
found out that one OF the most successful
ways of "boosting" the villages and cities,
is to assist in the developing OF the agri-
cultural interests round about them. The
amount OF such work that is being done is
truly remarkable.
Ofeourse your readers have heard OF the
wonderful crusade made by the U. s.
department Of agriculture in most Of our
competent experts made a campaign
throughout these states, preaching better
methods OF farming, getting the boys to-
gether and forming corn and vegetable
clubs, and awakening such an interest that
last year more than $1,000 boys and girls,
by the bankers and business men. The
result is an increase per acre yield on corn
OF 30 per cent. and better farming all
around.
This "better farming" disease has proved
to be contagious, and both North Dakota
and Minnesota have been attacked by it
and have fallen into line.
The matter OF county agricultural agents
is attracting much attention. think the
movement had its origin in North Dakota.
About three years ago some Of the bank
ers and business men OF Fargo and the
two railroads OF the state subscribed a
large SUN OF money, hired one OF the most
competent instructors from the Minne-
sofa school of agriculture and sent him
out to preach the gospel OF "better farm
ing". He was also to offer to every coun-
ty that would employ and keep on duty,
all of the time, an up-to-date expert on
farming, Il 900 yearly towards paying his
salary and expenses.
At first but few counties accepted the
offer, but the results obtained in crops
soon made it popular, until to-day some
thirty counties have such men employed.
In consequence OF this, not only has the
acre yield OF oats and wheat been much
hrt ho i'm .Nf
these competent men, North Dakota is
fast becoming a corn, dairy, hog and
poultry state.
Soon Minnesota began to see the wis
dom OF this movement, and employed
similar men. The city and country took
the matter up with such favorable COM
ments that Cur last legislature passed
a law carrying with it an appropriation Of
$4,000 per year, $1,000 to be paid each Of
the twenty-five counties that would en-
pIoy an agricultural agent, selected by
the dean OF our college of agriculture, and
themselves pay 81 900 yearly toward the
cost thereof. Nearly half of Minnesota's
counties now have such men employed;
none, l believe, having embarked in the
movement, have abandoned IT.
These men give neighborhood talks to
farmers and their wives on crops, live
stock and other branches of their BUSH
ness. They also meet the farmers boys
and girls in the schools to form boys and
girls corn and vegetables clubs, thereby
getting them interested in agriculture by
making it attractive TO them.
Agriculture is now taught in nearly 100
OF Minnesota's high and graded
schools, along with manual training and
home economics, which latter is perhaps
the most useful and valuable of modern
studies.
Minnesota is waking up to the fact that
it is better to invest some OF her money
in teaching these practical subjects than
to spend so much Of it in teaching
French, German, Latin and higher mathe-
MATES, which cost so much in time and
money and are of so little use to the aver
g. ktnxk