Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-04-27

should be avoided. Among these un-
selfish workers for the common
good the figure OF one man stands
,ut conspIcuously This IS Professor Perry
/ q. Holden undoubtedly the most noted agrcul-
turnl expert Of our time.
/ A few years ago Professor Holden trebled the
value OF the corn crop In Iowa. A little later he
put millions OF dollars into the pockets of the
farmers OF Oregon, Washington and Idaho. As
hnnl achievement, he induced the farmers of
Arkansas TO adopt a system of crop diversincation
which resulted In nm Increase OF the wealth OF the
state OF more than $3OO0OOO0 In a single year.
And Professor Holden says he has only started
that II Is his ambition to do as much. more for
every state IN the Union, and the chances are he
VIII accomplish his purpose for he Is today the
leader In movement for agricultural revival
and rural uplift, which In It's scope and sgnlf-
canoe, Is without parallel In this or any other
country. What is Of equal Importance, he is at
the head OF an organization with practically I'M
United facilities for carrying on the work Dur
ing the last three years he and his assistants have
co-opcrated IN organizing and conducting lfty-hve
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 6.O00O0O people.
Professor Holden has been described as the
Burbank Of the so-the man who set King Corn
upon It's throne and crowned alfalfa queen. He
has been called missionary preacher, a phlloso-
pher prophet and a 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.
IL WAS while professor of agronomy at the uni
versity OF Illinois. from 1897 10 1901 that Pro
fessor Hoden's work first attracted attention.
other men have allowed their energies and actiyl-
ties 20 be bounded by the four walls Of the school
room but to Holden such thing was impossible.
He looked upon culture as source of pros
perity and happiness to humanity. He had vi
sion OF more generous fields. more golden harvests
lie pictured big red barns, fine dairy cattle. hap
ny homes.
But he behed these things as possible only
through the united Efforts and intelligent
operation OF the people and organized the Corn
Growers, association. He recognized the agrlcul-
tural possibilities of the sugar beet. and the Sugar
Beet Growers association came Into being.
Already ne had done much for the farmers OF
Illinois, but he was not content Men OF achieve
ment have little time for retrospecton. He saw
he need OF improving the quality of the and
organized both the Corn Growers association and
America's first cornjudging school He placed
.orn upon higher education plane than Latin
md Greek, organized the Illinois club for the
OF agricultural knowledge among
-oung men and revived and broadened the farm
RS Institutes of the state.
Then the Iowa State college heckoned him. AS
Professor of agronomy and director OF the agri-
qlturnl extension department OF that institution
10 continued the work he began in Illinois. He
lid more He "beat his own record" which Is
MOTTO he has held before him since he was boy
n nttie country school house In the backwoods
{ Michigan.
He inauKurated a bettercorn campaign that Is
nioue and majestic In the history OF agriculture.
la shattered all traditions ef extension work by
efuslnr 10 rely, upon bulletins and other printed
,atfer 10 carry his message to the people He
cent IA person 20 the farmers nj their homes and
aurht them by word OF mouth. He inoculated
ommerce and transportation with the bacteria
Z more and better and set precedent for
very state Of the Union by conducting the frs;
aiway train ever run for the purpose OF spread
az the gospel OF profitable farming.
add what would equal a threeounce nubbin
D hll- he said "and the gain will be ten bush
Is 10 the acre About nine million acres are
lanted 10 corn IN Iowa each year. That little
ubbin more In each hill VIII mean an Increase OF
lnety million bushels"
In 1912 after Professor Holden had talked and
demonstrated and labored for ten years. the nub-
IN was added 10 the hill. The total increase In
~ Weld that year was 9S.9l4b57 bushels, which
| SO cents a bushel. the average price OF corn
mt year meant that the market value OF this
eld increase $35,eo9.240.
All Iowa was proud OF Holden. but Holdcn's
anne spread far beyond the borders of the state.
Il became prominent figure In national
rogress.
There were those who refused to believe that
Iolaans activities should be confined TO even one
alton so he Was placed at the head OF mighty