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

agricultural extension department, with headQuar-
tiers in Chicago, organized for worldwide teaching
of agriculture. After period Of great work In
ILLINOIS, and even greater work in Iowa, Profess
sor Holden entered upon the worlds work.
But first there more work to do at home,
and Professor Holden not long in deciding
where to turn first. He had long known that the
agricultural problem Of the Northwest was the
Orfe-crop system. Great tracts Of land had been
seeded to wheat year after year until the soil
was becoming worn out-robbed of the elements
necessary for the growth of plant life. He de-
cided at once that the remedy was the growing OF
alfalfa, that wonderful plant which is not only
money-makfng crop in itself, but possesses the
magic power of putting nitrogen and organic mat
ter into the soil. Thereupon Professor Holden
organized the inland empire campaign and, In CO
operation with six great railroad systems of the
Northwest started the campaign for alfalfa on
every farm.
While the agricultural demonstration train in
augurated by Professor Holden in Iowa
mighty step forward, he believed there was still
better way Of reaching the farmers. At last he
hit upon it the automobile in conjunction with
the railroad train. The farmer could come to the
towns where the trains stopped, and thousands Of
them did, but in many instances this meant a long
trip to and from the meeting places and perhaps
whole days absence from work. The thing to
do, then, to go to the farmer, to meet him In
the fields, on his threshold. 1t planned,
therefore, that at every place where the alfalfa
special stopped automobiles should meet 1t and
whfrl the speakers to prearranged meeting places:
In schoohouses, churches, town halls theaters,
barns, out In the open fields. by the roadside
When meeting was held In alfalfa field
there question of its success, many
good ,ssons easily driven home by illus
trations from the growing crops In the fields,
too, the lessons of incubation, use of lime, eradi-
cation Of weeds and time of cutting, could all be
very plainly illustrated. To supplement this work
the speakers used huge charts which told
interesting stories In manner that ndisput-
able. The big comparative figures shown the
charts gave every farmer plenty Of food for
thought. The results Of various tests showed that
alfalfa whether alone In Vmbination with
other feeds, was far and away the best food for
the production of pork. beef, dairy products and
eggs.
One of Professor Holden's s.rong points was
that alfalfa will act land retainer. He de-
clared that once 1t is given chance 1t will refuse
to be kept off Of land that Is now considered prac-
tfcally valueess. Alfalfa is known to put back
into the soil what other crops take ont. BY Pc
cuiar process, the nodules that form the roots
Of the plant extract nitrogen from the air and de-
post 1t in the soil. And nitrogen is what other
crops need
The regular schedule Of the alfalfa special in
cluded from six to eight stops day, thus allow
ing for from 60 to 12O meetings according to the
number of speakers employed. After the daily
stops 1t was headed for some town where an eve