Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-06-20
Great Volunteer Army
Working to Advance
Science Of Farming

+. T. i Il 4. ! s rs
Science of Forming
Nearly 10000 persons. largely sue
cessful farmers, are now aiding the
United States department Of agricul-
ture by furnishing information
demonstrating the local usefulness OF
new methods, testing out theories, ex-
perimenting and reporting on condi-
tions in their districts-by helping, in
\ short, in almost every conceivable way
4 to increase the knowledge OF the de-
partment and to place that knowledge
at the service Of the people. This army
Of volunteers receives no pay from
the government. Many OF these CO.
operators are actuated solely by 9
wish to be Of service to their neigh
4 bors. Others take part in this work
because Of their own keen interest in
testing new methods. or in trying out
for themselves crops either new tc
their own sections or imported from
foreign countries thru the depart
ment's plant explorers.
1t is estimated that at least one
farm out Of every twenty is working
in some way with the department OF
Agriculture, and thus has become q
center Of advanced agricultural In
formation for it's community. In ad-
dition to the farmers who work direct
~ with the department of agriculture
there are thousands Of others who
render similar valuable service tc
the scientists and field workers Of the
state agricultural colleges and expert
ment stations.
With such large number OF farm
ers willing to work with the depart
ment and the colleges and test out
their recommendations. It is clear that
a significant change has takeH place
from the day when the average farmer
was decidedly skeptical about scien-
tific agriculture and slow or unwilling
to give attention to the recommends
tons of what many used to designate
as book farmers"
The wide use made by the depart
ment Of this large number OF ,prac-
teal farmers indicates clearly how
erroneous was the once prevalent idea
that agricultural scientists held them
selves aloof and that the department
Of agriculture consisted mainly of col
lege- strained men,, who were far more
at home in their offices or laboratories
than on actual farms. AS a matter of
fact, the scientific agriculturist today
does not attempt to evolve theories in
ing It is true he may develop ideas
in his laboratory, but before he Is
ready to advise farmers to adopt them
he tries them out in actual practice on
government farms and then calls on
a large number Of successful practical
farmers to give these ideas an inde-
pendent practical test on some Of their
own acres. In many cases tho scien-
fist goes to the farmer both FOR his
theory and practice. He studies and
analyses the practice of hundreds or
thousands Of successful farmers in an
endeavor to find the scientific basis or
underlying principle Of farming
methods which have, thru long years
of practical experiences; been found
to be most successful for their farms
and neighborhoods. Frequently the
scientist finds in one community GER
tain farmers who are ssuccessful and
others who are unsuccessful. He
searches for the reasons for the sue
cess and failure Of the two groups. and
then endeavors to make clear to the
successful ones the scientific reason
for their success and to develop sound
rules which will enable the unsuc-
cessful to apply to their own farms
the methods employed by their pros
porous neighbors. In many cases,
therefore. the scientists recommends
ton represents the consensus OF opin-
ion OF large number of successful
grain growers, truck raisers. dairy
men. or other classes Of farm man
ayers.
Majority Live on Farm.
OF the 10000 co-operators the great
aiority are men who farm for a liv-
ing. A wide variety Of other occupa-
tions is represented in the list, how
ever. from the masters Of merchant
vessels who take meteorological OBJ
seryations for the weather bureau to
the college presidents who aid in the
educational extension work of the de-
partment or the pig club boys who
supply their neighbors with object les
sons in the profitable raising of hogs.
In a general way the CO. operators may
be divided into three classes, those
who furnish the department with
specific information acquired in the
course Of their regular occupations;
those who demonstrate in actual prac-
tice the agricultural methods recon-
amended by the department; and those
who volunteer to perform with new
crops and new methods the expert
unents which furnish science with the
necessary data for practical recon-
mendations.
Prominent in the first class are the
n5S. 500 crop correspondents who make
possible the government estimates OF
crop production and values. Trained
experts in the bureau OF crop esti-
mates take the reports Of these nen
and by careful comparison and averag-
ing arrive at a knowledge Of actual
conditions turnout the country which
could not be obtained in any other
way. The information thus secured
and published by the government is
an Invaluable guide to the farmers
and business men Of the country and
an effective obstacle to reckless specu-
qation and the manipulation Of prices
without such system the knowledge
nossessed by any one individual would
necessarily be limited to local con
ritions and It is no longer local but
national and worldwide conditions
that regulate business. This fact is
occasionally overlooked by persons
who are surprised to find that short
crop in their own section may be ac-
;rompanied by low prices and are Il
consequence inclined to question the