The Idaho Springs siftings-news. (Idaho Springs, Colo.) 1905-19??, 1917-04-20
6y Robert HMou1ton

have labored long and increasingly
to SO improve our agricultural re-
Mk1Y sources that this very condition
should be avoided. Among these
selfish workers for the common
good the figure of one man stands
out conspicuously. This is Professor Perry
g. Holden, undoubtedly the most noted agricul-
tural expert Of our time.
few years ago Professor Holden trebled the
value of the corn crop in Iowa. little later he
put millions Of dollars into the pockets of the
farmers of Oregon Washington and Idaho. AS
final achievement, he induced the farmers Of
Arkansas to adopt system of crop diversifcation
which resulted in an increase of the wealth of the
state Of more than S3O,OOOOOO in single year.
And Professor Holden says he has only started
that it is his ambition to do as much or more for
every state in the Union, and the chances are he
Will accomplish bis purpose for he is today the
leader in movement for agricultural revival
and rural uplift, which in its scope and sgnif-
cance is without parallel in this or any other
country. What is of equal Importance he Is at
the head Of an organization with practically un-
limited facilities for carrying on the work. Dur
ing the last three he and his assistants have
co-operated in organizing and conducting ffty-fve
campaigns for agricultural education, have spoken
at nearly 10000 meetings, and In order to meet
these engagements have Travelled approximately
100000 miles by railroad and over 100000 miles
by automobile, while their activities have reached
the enormous total Of 100000 people.
Professor Holden has been described as the
upon Its throne and crowned alfalfa queen He
has been called missionary a preacher, phoso-
pher, prophet and teacher-a professor in the
university Of the great outdoors. More than any
other man he has set agricultural America to
moving, and to moving in the right direction.
1t was while professor Of agronomy at the Uni
versity of Illinois, from 1897 to 1901 that Pro-
fessor Holdens work first attracted attention.
Other men have allowed their energies and activi-
ties to be bounded by the four walls of the school,
h11ffO oI1 hfpcv fypp bla
He looked upen culture a of pros
perity and happiness to humanity. He had vi
sion of more generous fields, more golden harvests
He pictured big red barns, fine dairy cattle, hap
by homes.
But he beheld these things as possible only
through the united efforts and intelligent CO.
operation Of the people and organized the Corn
Growers association. He recognized the agricul-
tura possibilities Of the beet and the Sugar
Beet Growers association came into being.
Already he had done much for the farmers of
Illinois, but he not content. Men of achieve
ment have little time for retrospection. He saw
the need of improving the quality of the corn and
organized both the Corn Growers association and
Americas first corn-judging school. He placed
corn upon a higher education plane than Latin
and Greek, organized the Illinois club for the
dissemination of agricultural knowledge among
young men, and revived and broadened the farm
ers Institutes of the state.
Then the Iowa State college beckoned him. AS
professor of agronomy and as director of the agr-
cultural extension department of that institution
he continued the work he began in Illinois. He
did more He beat his own record" which is a
motto he has held before him since he was boy
In a little country school house in the backwoods
OF Michigan.
He ipaugurated a better-corn campaign that is
UNIQUE and majestic in the history Of agriculture.
He shattered all traditions Of extension work by
refusing to rely upon bulletins and other printed
matter tc carry his message to the people. He
went in person to the farmers at their homes and
taught them by word Of mouth. He fnoculated
commerce and transportation with the bacteria
OF more and better corn and set a precedent Tor
every state Of the Union by conducting the first
railway train run. for the purpose OF spread
ing the gospel Of profitable farming.
add what would equal three-ounce nubbin
to HILL" he said land the gain will be ten BUSH
els to the acre. About nine million acres are
planted to corn in Iowa each year. That little
nubbin more In each hill will mean an Increase OF
ninety million bushels"
In 1912 after Professor Holden had talked and
demonstrated and labored for ten years, the nub-
hin was added to the hill The total increase in
the Weld that year was 98914,557 bushels, which
at SO cents bushe the average price Of corn
that year. meant that the market value Of this
Yield increase was $35,6O9,24O.
All Iowa was proud Of Holden, but Hodens
fame spread far beyond the borders of the state.
He became prominent figure In national
progress.
There were those who refused to believe that
Ho,den's activities should be confined to even one
nation. so he was placed at the head Of mighty