Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-04

HELP FARMERS
Charts and Instructions That
Will Help Increase Pro-
duclion Sent Out


1t is one thing to want Z prodoee
more food and another thing to
know how. When, upon our en-
trance into the war. the food crisis
promised TO become even more seri-
Gus, and when. due TO high prices
and to the desire to feed ourselves
and help our allies, the farmers of
America wanted to increase the yield
of every acre, the immediate prob
lem was how this might be done.
In any emergency of this kind,
those instruments are best and most
productive of results which have
already been perfected and used.
The farm machine companies, deal
ing as they do exclusively with the
farmers, might be expected TO have
means at their command of giving
the farmer information needed on
how TO make his farm immediately
more productive. The International
Harvester Company had already
been using several methods of
bringing proper information to the
farmer, which ii was able to am
plifN and increase at this time. one
OF those methods was u way the
company had perfected which would
enable one man in a sChoolhouSe,
or ln a lawn or grove or any other
meeting place, to pass information
on to an audience of farmers and
their families.
1t was a long time ago that the
Harvester Company conceived this
means OF making easy the dissent
nation of useful Information about
farming. 1t would be impossible
for any company to employ enough
men to so through the country and
teach all the farmers, so the next
best thing is to equip the leaders in
every farming community who de-
sire to distribute information with
the means of taking information
and distributing it themselves.
Lecture books containing the de-
Veloped outlines of talks on neces-
Sary farm subjects for the speakers
and large lecture charts which can
be read by the audience, is the me-
chanical equipment which the Har-
speakers of all kinds. 1t developed
these charts. stands to hold them up
and cases to protect them while they
are being shipped. All this equip
ment was worked out by the Agri-
cultural Extension Department o1
the Harvester Company and is man
ufactured in the International Har-
vester Company works. The equip
ment is so well sdesigned that the
United States Government also uses
1t. buying it at. cost from the Har-
Vester Company.
After the company had perfected
the equipment for speakers and lee.
turerS on farm subjects. it solved
the problem of distributing them foI
use by permitting the people to or.
GdniZe circuits over which the charts
might travel from one speaker OF
! school TO another. These circuits
are usually organized on a county
| basis, although in some cases a cir
| cult viii oVerstep a county line
! This method of distribution was
put into effect in 1915. and by tho
| time the recent demand for infor.
| nation became acute. all available
| charts were in use in the field. Bl
| January, 1918, a greatly increased
I demand became noticeable. and the
/ company was obliged to make more
of the charts and put them into cir
! culation to satisfy the demands oi
| the people for more facts on pro.
ductiNe, efficient agriculture.
This method of inStructinE the
| people in how to produce more fooC
was perfected and running smoothly
at the time of our entrance into the
| war. which enabled it to be useC
Immediately in the food production
| crisis. The charts at present are
| being used by agricultural leader.
and lecturers of all kinds. by count.
| superintendenIs of schools, and by
! the higher institutions of learning
! Agricultural colleges and universitie.
| in sixteen states are now directing
/ /. II. G. charts over circuits of theil
| own and |. II. 6. charts are travel
| ing over circuits in every state il
| the Union. Three large circuits are
| working in Canada under the super,
! vision of the Provincial Government
! of Ontario. Twenty-four sets are
| being used in Russia by the Inter
national Y. NJ. G. A., and several set,
| are covering circuits in South Amer
/ ict. Three sets of charts were re
| Gently hauled sixty miles overland
| by wagon in the state of Washington
that they might carry information
| on safer and better farming anC
| greater food production to inlant
| communities far from the railroad
These short course schools ar,
| still in progress, and in every in,
stance are held upon the reques
| and under the direction of som,
| local organization. So far twelv,
schools have been held in Pennsyl
| yania. eleven in Ohio, four in Mary
| land and three in Massachusetts
| Schools have been held also in Nir
| ginia and West Virginia. Their,
| have been a total of l91 sessions il
! these schools. a session meaninl
| roughly one-half day of instruction
| The attendance has been approx.
| mately 600 formers. The mer
| were given practical instruction in
| how actually to produce more food
| the coming season. and there were
| special sessions for the women
! teaching them how TO cook with less
| -ugal and how to Use DOtatoes ,