Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-03-22
Get COUNTY AGENT"
IS EXPERTS ADVICE
viii Result In Saving of Wasted
Land and Labor.
Puts Emphasis on Prime Importance
OF Coed Seed and Necessity
For Testing.
GAINESVILLE Gazette)

Get a farm agent by all means"
declared Prof p. G. Holden of Chica-
20. formerly of Iowa, in an address
before the Twilight club, GAINESVILLE,
members Of the county board and
q number Of Rock county farmers,
VINO were invited guests. Keep at it
until YOU do get such an agent and
YOU viii pay for the expense many
times over the first year in the saw
ing OF wasted land and wasted ener-
gv." was Prof. Holden's advice.
]. A. Craig in introducing Prof.
Holden. explained that the speaker
had been secured to come to James
vile at some little inconvenience. He
is at the head of an extension depart
ment conducted by the international
Harvester company and was engaged
ait present in conducting a series OF
a thousand lectures in Tennessee. Mr..
Craig. however, was able to secure his
return for this one address, which was
thoroughly appreciated by the club
and its guests. 1t was an inspiring
discourse and many city man who
had little experience at farming de-
cIared after the meeting that he would
almost like to try it himself"
You business men should do some
thing more than buy and sell" de-
clared Mr.. Holden at the beginning OF
his address. Wherever you sell your
goods you owe the people of that COM
munity a duty to help them as much
As you can to do better, to improve
To iTf
their work i'm order to accomplish the
best results"
Farmers In South in Poor Condition.
He gave a glimpse Of the conditions
which he faced in numerous speaking
campaigns which he has held in the
south. He found the farmers Of the
back woods communities literally
without food for themselves or their
stock. They came to the meetings in
a starving condition. 1t was his pur-
rose to teach those men and women
TO do better, and to secure results out
of their work Conditions III the south
only went to prove, he said, that the
One-half of this United States truly
doesn't know how the other half lives.
Progress Leads to and From Farm.
Every path Of progress leads out
from the city to the farm and right
into the SOIL" said the speaker. THE
farmers of Rock county are interested
in having this city fine fOurishing
town that they can be proud Of, and
YOU in turn should be interested in
these farm factories which mean so
much to you. I once gave an address
before what are known as the farm
ers of Wall street. was bit shakey.
But when | got up I told them that
instead of being the heads Of creation
as they considered themselves, they
were really the tails. Why, | said,
YOU are glad to get what We Iowa
farmers don't want and can't use for
ourselves out IN Iowa. You are
tickled to death to get our leftOvers.
If you aren't why do you swamp me
with kilograms for reports on the con-
ditiOn of the corn crop"
Then Prof. Holden launched into his
discussion of the corn crop, including
numerous phases; corn growing, corn
production, but especially seed corn
and testing and the Importance and
value of the same. He pointed out
that the average production of corn
was one is ounce ear to each hill
of three kernels which made a yield
of about rs bushels to the acre. Two
stalks in every hill either weren't
there or were barren. What does
that mean?" asked Mr. Holden why,
it's plain. 1t means that two-thirds of
the labor that is put into raising such
a crop Of corn is pure waste 1t means
that a farmer who has been cultivat-
ing and looking after such a crop has
been exerting two-thirds of his efforts
in vain. He might better have been
travelling back and forth in the road
than Up and down productive corn
rows.
Must Test Seed.
And do you know what the farmer
viii say who is getting a third of a
stand OF productive corn when you ask
him about his seed: oh, l never
have any trouble with my seed he
says. 1t always grows all right Do
YOU ever test your seed?' he is asked.
Never in his life And do you know
what is happening in the corn field
that is producing nubbins and half
pars2 Why. the pollen from the stalks