The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-03-05

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tain all of the moisture possible. Mr..
Brown said from the samples he had
seen among the exhibits at the insti-
tute he found that the potatoes in this
section we're afflicted with the three
most dreaded diseases that attack
them. One Of these, the Blackleg, at
tacks the growing potato and destroys
1t, turning it into a Shiny black mass.
The second girdles the stalk near the
ground, preventing the necessary
starch from descending from the fol
iage, and also making 1t liable to be
broken off by the wind or a slight
blow from the cultivator. Both of these
diseases may be easily eradicated by
dipping the seed in corrosive subli-
mate. The third disease. brown rot,
is harder to get rid of. About the only
method seems to be carefully select
seed that is known to be free from the
disease and to rotate the crop, using
the same ground for potatoes only
about once in four years. Mr.. Brown
was of the opinion that Early Ohios
could not be grown proitably. except
for seed as the later varieties will pro-
duce so much more to the acre. He
said that potatoes could be grown very
profitably in this section, something
that the farmers here have demon
strated TO their Owl satisfaction in
the last few years.
Prof. Kerr followed with a short
talk on the law passed by the last leg
islature allowing the counties to con-
duct demonstration farms and TO have
county agents. He stated that the fed
eral government had recently passed a
law giving aid to each state TO the ex.
tent of $4,000 and that this would go
to the counties that were organized to
carry on this work. Five counties are
already organized in this state, and
the professor thought that Brookings
could do well by organizing nov so as
to come in for its share. President
Sherwin put the question of whether
this county wanted to take advantage
of this law to a vote of those present,
and two-thirds of the farmers present
were favorable.
C.. E. Ekerle of Chicago, followed
with a talk on cooperation. Mr..
Ekerle is the representative Of a
league of cooperative farmers eleva.
tor associations, comprising eight
states of the Northwest, including
South Dakota. He discussed co-opera-
ton among the farmers from differ
ent angles and urged them to get to-
gether for their own benefit. He said
he believed in keeping the boy on the
farm, not even sending him to an agri-
cultural college for an education,
which is altogether a preposterous idea
on the part of Mr.. Ekerle. He said
that there should be only one farmers
elevator here, but he did not explain
how n or the other of them was to
be put out of business. He said that
the farmers and merchants should CO.
operate to the building up of the com
munity, as each was vitality necessary
to the other. He thought that the mer-
chants should organize among them
selves, as in this way they could buy
cheaper and better compete with the
mail order houses. He made state
ment that seemed to meet with the
hearty approval of his audience, when
he said that IL Carnegie would give
back some of the money to the men,
women and children on the hillsides of
Pennsylvania from whom he took it
instead of building Libraries his coun-
think more of him. Mr.. Ekerle is a
splendid speaker and gave a most en-
tertaining address, but he did not have
any practical suggestions as to how
the farmers should go about their CO.
operation.
! At the close of the program the
premium winners were announced. The
display of corn and potatoes was a
splendid one and there were a large
number of exhibitors. The awards
were announced as follows:
Half-acre contest-Earl Killing. first;
A. c. Porter, second. Prizes Of $25 and
SIS were offered in this contest.
Ten ear contest-Earl Killing, first;
c. G. Sanderson, second; Mr.. Valen-
time, third; Frank Sherwin, fouth; A.
C. Porter, fifth: Frank Sherwin, sixth.
The prizes were ten, FIVE, four, three,
two and one dollar.
Boys ten ear contest-Roy Jones,
first; Paul Halvorson, second; Clifford
Halvorson, third; Harold Slocum,
fourth; Victor Haroldson, fifth. The
prizes were the same as in the mems
contest.
Late potatoes-Ed. Shank. first:
Wesley Morris. second: Louis Eber-
lein. third. The prizes were So, 81
and 81.
Early potatoes-Ed. Shank. first;
C. G. Hinckley. second; o. G. Slocum.