Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-12-19

BRASS INK WELLS
-
in times of peace. 1t was good to see
the eagerness with which the farmers
attacked the problems as presented by
the different members, and by the coun
ty agent-questiom OF lime arose. One
man SAID he had spent $3U the previous
year for lime whIcn he had scattered
uhinly over several acres. Brown asked
him If he had made any check on the
value OF the lime and discovered that
| he had not. AS a matter OF fact, he
had not the slightest idea whether the
nme mad done him any good or not,
! Other prominent farmers present admit
ted a nike experience on their part.
They were very glad to have him
make an arrangement for some positive
checking results i'll the use OF lime and
fertilizers for the coming season. Every
man present signed petition to the
| County Court to support budget ap'
preparation for the continuance Of the
splendid work.
We reached Salem about midnight,
happy and warm inside, even il we were
very wet without. L think Brown
thought he was going to bluff me the
next day when he SAID he had meet
ing in Ankeny Bottom and in the dir
ecrlon of Jefferson, but my previous
experience the day before had given
me confidence in mis- ability to navi-
gate. So l sat in with him again at
occasional piece of winter wheat and
noon and we headed south for Ankeny
Bottom, reaching the summit of An
keny Hill, the bottom laid before us
in a broad expanse of water with an
house cropping out now and then. Be-
fore we left the main highway to plunge
down into the bottom, Brown stopped
the engine for moment to offer 81
lent prayer, that we might reach the
bottom safely. 1t was well he had for
| after we struck the mud road it i'm
mediately looked as if our trip was end
ed right there. For the next half hour
we hoped very devoutedly that the
good County Commissioners might have
| been with us in the car, as our guests.
After going sideways, edgeways and
in every other direction for half an
hour, we reached Nye's place aHd from
| there on to the grange the road was q
little less "worse.
Mr.. Nye presided as chairman of the
farmers and their wives who had braved
| the weather to hear Brown talk. AT
first they responded rather slowly to his
request for questions, but finally dis
cussion became general, and it was dark
before the meeting finally closed.
! Mr.. 0. l.. Carrothers who had spec.
ial experiment in potato cultivation in
his section developed the fact that a
potato improvement club was badly
needed in that part of the country, and
Brown Immediately made arrangements
to have potato specialist meet with
the potato growers of the section and
arrange an organization of such club
This future meeting will, no doubt
lead to the forming of strong potato
grower S association. The certification
of this would very likely lead to the
erection of potato warehouse, to take
care of the needs OF. this section.
This is merely one of the details as
to the activity of the County Agent.
Eugene Findly also told of splendid sue.
cess he had on kale, with fertilizer, real
izing ten times the growth from its in.
telligent use, 1t developed that his i'm.
mediate adjoining neighbor, while no,
ticing the splendid growth of Findly 's
kale, had not known how he had oh.
tanned it. This will be developed in a
series of experiments in that country
Mr.. j. nj. Marlett who has lived in that
bottom for many years was very inter
ested listener and told the agent many
things which win be of value to him.
Every one of the farmers signed pc
tition for the county agent.
Had we been half an hour later we
would have been unable to get out of
the bottom. AT it was, one small bridge
was afloat ON one end and as we passed
! over it, it was lucky that the Santiam
river marks the south end of this coun-
! ty, otherwise Brown would have felt
compelled to go through three feet of
water that flooded the Santiam bottom
at that place.
After spending a very pleasant half
hour discussion with Mr.. and Mrs d. II.
/ Looney of jefferson, about the value
of county agent, we hurried ON to the
Jefferson district three miles north,
where Mr.. Hocshpeier, together with
MIR. Looney, had arranged another meet
ing. Over half the farmers present had
signed petition earlier in the season,
protesting against the appointment of a
county agent. But after Mr., Brown had
\ finished his talk and outlined the plan
of work, stating thas the proposition
had been entirely mis-stated to them at
the time the protest was signed.
A discussion as to some of the preva-
lent diseases amongst cattle Of this dis
triet arose, and the information devel-
oped was of material benefit to those
present.
Leaving the meeting place late in
the night, we felt fairly safe as to the
roads, but much to our surprise dis
covered roads awash and culverts over.
flowing, and bridges unstable, even on
top of the hills. 1t was close to midnight
when we reached Salem. We saw nobody
on the roads. l eouldn' I help but feel
that a man who would respond to the
call of the farmers under such stress