Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-02-02
SHORT COURSE
IS SUCCESSFUL
Increase in Enrolment in Ward
County Boys Organization
Reported at Minot.

The short course in agriculture for
the boys of Ward county in session at
Minot has an enrolment Of 100, as
compared to 76 last year and Sc the
first year. Most of these boys have
been in either the corn, wheat or pork
production contests and have made
good at it. They are achievement
boys. They are so full of energy
that they can hardly sit still long
enough to take in a lecture, they
want to be in action.
These boys have their organization.
Bert Alberts of Aurelia is president,
Jim Clarke Of Donnybrook, sec-Treas,
and Jacob Frank, vice president.
They are holding meetings in which
they are discussing their affairs and
laying plans for the future. In this
way they are learning how business
is carried on in an assembly. They,
will know how to carry measures
through when they have occasion to
be in meetings and some of them will
later be in the legislature. This
can leadership among the
farmers in the near future.
The forenoon Of the first day was
given up 10 registration and addresses
of welcome 10y ex-governor Devine
and A. G. Crane, president Of the Mi
not normal. Horses was the topic for
study in the afternoon. Tuesday was
cow day; the forenoon was devoted to
discussions on types, breeds, feeding
and care, and in the afternoon the
work was on Judging. The boys al.
so selected a team from among their
own number for judging the stock .ex-
hibited at the Minot Mid-winter Fair.
The team did very satisfactory work
in placing the ribbons on the bosies
and Their consorts. This team also
judged the corn. There was ove two
hundred entries which will give some
idea of the task the boys undertook.
Many of them have been in corn con.
tests, and have become expert corn
judges. The boys were proud Of their
team.
One day was devoted to. studying
hogs; the types, breeds, feeding, care
and judging vel the divisions of the
subject. The boys were very much in.
terested in hog raising-many of them
have made a good deal of money in
hog raising and are anxious TO learn
how to increase their profits.
Planning a rotation of crops suited
to the home farm of each boy was
given one day. This required a
knowledge of the crops and their
uses, so some time was given to this.
The last day will be given to rope
work and stock Judging contests.
The rope work will consist in splicing,
tying knots, making halters, etc. The
stock Judging contest will be between
the boys and the farmers. An excit'
ing time is anticipated.
The instruction was quite varied
the steroptican was used, also charts
and the animals, in the judging work.
1t was not all work. In the morn.
ings the big normal school gymnasium
was at the disposal Of the boys and
they made good use of it. The aft
ernoons, beginning at Ais were given
to games in the gymnasium. Enter
tainment was provided for the eve
nings, consisting of free motion pic.
ture shows, a banquet aud basket
ball game.
Mr.. w. A. Peck, the Ward County
Agricultural Agent, was assisted In
the Institutional work by A. p. Hen
derscn and w. E.. Wied, County iAg'
ricultula al agents of Bottineau County,
and A. G.. Gaumnitz, County Agricul'
tural agent of Wells County, j. G.
Haney and w. C. Palmer. Mr.. Coop
err, director of the North Dakota Ex'
pertinent station, visited the short
course and gave a talk on the contest
work. The sessions Of the short
course were held at the Minot Normal
school. The short course students
and the normal students held a joint
chapel each day.
Corn Contests.
The contests held during the sum-
mer are in a measure preliminary to
the short course. The results secur-
ed by the boys in these contests have
developed a very keen interest in the
better farming work. 1t has been very
forcibly brought out that the things
that Mr.. Peck has been advocating
bring money returns when put into
practice. The corn contest has been
the most generally entered into. ISL
boys entered it in 1914. Henry Grey
of Kenmare won first place with a
yield of 59.6 bushels Of mature corn
on an acre. Second place went to
Clarence Norgaard of Hartland Oh
1873 bushels, and third to Tolmar
Erickson of Carpio IN Alb bushels.
Thirty-one of the boys in the corn con
test had all their expenses to the
short course paid in recognition of the
good work that they had done. Corn
is making rapid strides in Ward coun'
~. At the Mid-winter Fair, kenmare
had IS entries, Donnybrook II, Car
pic, IA, Sawyer 80, MARYLAND Z, Mi
not so, and the boys IS. Most of it
was fine and well matured. This
year the farmers have saved over O.
900 bushels of seed corn at the request
of the county agent. 1t is only Z or
8 years since corn growing was start
ed in the county, which will give
some idea of how rapid has been the
introduction of corn.
Prizes for Wheat.
A wheat contest was also held for
the boys. One of the elevator men
offered to loan any boy who was in
last years corn contest a bushel OF
marquis wheat to be planted on his
last years corn ground. He also
put up $4,000 in prizes to go to those
,,,h~ eoo,,,l <ha Il. hiohncf vic us