The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1914-08-06
THE NORTH DAKOTA EXAMPLE

The Worlds Work in a recent issue
says:
Several years ago the Worlds Work
began to call national attention to the
farm demonstration work by which the
late Dr.. Seaman A. Knapp was re-
generating agriculture in the south.
These articles about DR.. Knapp's in
spring work attracted the interest Of
Mr. A. R. Rogers, a large lumbsrman
of Minneapolis, who had extensive
connections in North Dakota. Mr..
Rogers realized that North Dakota,
like most of the southern states, was
zone crop" state, and he felt that
DR.. Knapp's plan was the plan by
which its economic salvation might be
gained. He interested other leaders of
the northwest and they called a con-
vntion Of the bankers of North Dakota.
1.-THE bankers were so enthusiastic
over the plan that they and other bust
ness men subscribed $4,000 a year to
undertake campaign for better farm
methods. Most of the counties of the
state soon followed with appropria-
tons and the Better Framing associa-
ton was formed. tom" Cooper, the
host fho& tho fofo crri
lege could recommend, was put in
charge. Today he has more than twen-
ty field agents working with him, more
than five thousand farmers are CO.
operating to increase the productive
ness Of their farms, and the work has
grown to such proportions that the
Better Farming association has prac-
tically been taken over bodily by the
United States department of agricul-
ture under the direction of the Office
Of farm management.
"A vivid picture of this change is
given in a few words by Mr.. F. A.
Irish, vice president of the First Ma
tional bank Of Fargo, N. D., in the fol-
lowing quotation fran The Wall Street
Journal:
Few people in the east under
stand what has been going on in
North Dakota The state has turn
ed over from one-crop to a d.
versifed farming state, and in
stead of doing it though the
slow evolutionary process Of years
has made the change practically
In two seasons. Bankers have al
most been overwhelmed with re- 4
quests for loans to buy feeding
cattle and pedigreed bulls, some
times at $1,000 and $4,000 each.
Farmers have taken hold
of the idea that Investigation is
their salvation, and the banks
have helped them to it. But it has
all been brought about in a short
time.
But the ultimate effect of these
articles about DR.. Knapp did not stop
there. After the Better Farming as
ISOLATION had won its first successes,
The Worlds Work sent Mr.. Frank
Parker Stockbridge to North Dakota
to describe it's achievements. His ar
ticle, 1.-THE North Dakota Man Crop"
was published in The Worlds Work
for November, 1912. Now comes the
following letter about the effects of
that article:
"You may be interested in know
ing that the success of the North
Dakota Better Farming associa-
ton has stimulated people in the
province of Saskatchewan to
point where they are preparing to
adopt the same. An address
copy of which has been sent to me
by Mr.. c. V. Brown, superintend-
ent of branches of the Canadian
Bank of Commerce, delivered by
him at Regina, gives credit to your
article in The Worlds Work for
what they are doing, or attempt
ing to do, in their province.
"Thus you see your good work is
constantly spreading. Yours very
truly, (Signed) A. R. Rogers.
Minneapolis, Mimi, June rs,
1914"