The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1914-02-02
THE GREAT CONVENTION ON.

IN Grand FORKS this week is the
greatest farm gathering in the north.
west. II is not merely Il collection
of people assembled for the purpose
Of seeing some exhibits, listening to a
few speeches, and having n pleasant
time. 1t is An educational gathering
of h highest Importance, for its en-
tire program is devoted to the study
of things which make for better h,lsi-
ness and better living on tho farm.
There has been Il wonderful awak-
cnins of late years as to tho possible
tiles of science as applied t o the work
of the farm. and there is now a very
general appreciation of the fact thai
there is no business in tho world in
which there may be applied to better
advantage a wider range OF knowl-
edge.
1t is practically Impossible for the
farmer. living amid ordinary condi-
tons. to be Il specialist rs that term
is understood when applied to special
ization in other lines of industry. His
work is and must he more general
than most others. II is rue that lie
can specialize in Il measure. and With
profit. lie may devote himself chief
ly to dairyinE. or to raising beef, or
pork, &" poultry. ON any II OF a
score Of things he may lay special
emphasis, and to this he ma pay
special attention. To that extent. and
in that sense he is a specialist. But
he must he a general farmer. never
theless. II he goes in for dairyins he
cannot ignore all other branches of
farming. Dairying and pork produce
tion are so closely related that he will
be a hog raiser ON quite a scale. In
the production of feed for his stock
he must be n grain and grass farmer.
Tho production of beet and mutton,
il not carried or largely, will he i'm
portant sid lines. And so on. \
farmer cannot specialize i'm any one
branch OF his business without need
ing to know something of all other
branches.
IN the mana cement of the mod
crn farm calls for business ability and
mechanical ingenuity of a high order.
If the farmer is to make a success
he must have the business knowledge
which tells him he has reached the
limit of profit in this or that line,
when he needs more Of one kind of
stock II less of another. He needs
to be we'll trained in the department
where SO many men Of all occupations
fail. that of finance. for he must be
abIn to adjust his expenditure to his
income and avoid being caught i'm "a
tight place or required to bear a heavy
interest burden.
n farmer needs to he n mechanic
and an architect needs to have, not
II smattering of chemistry, or a smat-
tering of anything else. but "A thor
ough knowledge of the elementary
and fundamental principles Of chemis-
try which bear most directly on his
" occupation. Above all things. he
needs to be a man of open mind, con-
stantly searching for truth, and glad
ly accepting and acting upon it whcr-
ever and whenever he finds it.
1t is not the purpose Of the Corn
and Glover convention to provide in
the course Of a week a liberal educa-
ton. 1t is the purpose of the man.
agement to provide during these days
n course OF instruction which, in it.
self. and for the sake of the direct
benefit to be derived from it. will con-
stitute a valuable addition to the
farmers store Of knowledge. But
there is the further purpose OF making
these meetings inspirational, and of
making them in ONE sense the foun-
dalton of. a greater and broader work
to be performed in the future.
The attendance at the convention
this year will be beyond anything that
we have seen in the past. and it is to
he hoped that there will be n proper
representation from the city itself.
The men and women who come here
to attend the meetings are heartily
welcome, and we should make an eff
fort to have them understand that We
are glad to have them with us and
to do what we can to promote that
part Of the general welfare with which
their activities are most closely as
ISOLATED.