Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-01-27
AMONG THE FARMERS.
"sPyED THE PLow.r
The Modern lchabod.

The Modern lchabod.
~ think of myself as Ichabod lots Of
times. Of course I don't ride around
the country roads on bony horse with
coat tails flying and have pumpkins
| thrown at me, but / do board around
from farm to farm, sleep in the spare
room, and get on pretty Intimate foot
ing with the farmers and their families.
As an institution guess am nearer the
old-time teacher of Ichabod's day than
any one has been for good many
years."
The young fellow who spoke is one
of the COW testers whom the Iowa Agri-
cultural College has sent out over the
state to promote dairying among Iowa
farmers by the establishment of COW
esting associations. Eleven of them are
now out In the field work. His likening
himself to Ichabod is not far-fetched for
be is in truth an itinersnt teacher, not
of farmers children and Of the three RS
of book learning but Of the farmers
themselves and the .hree RS of dairying.
There are twenty. six farmers in his
school, one for each working day Of the
month. Besides small salary provided
by the state each farmer pays him ST.
a month. He Is obligated to visit every
farm once a month, spending q day and
night with the farmer family. He is
boarded free and the farmers take him
to the next place.
~ sure live high" said this modern
Ichabod as he told of his experiences.
II had roast duck for dinner where l
was to-day and fried chicken yesterday.
II the farmers live as we'll all the time
as they do the days I'm at their houses
they aren't sacrificing much of their
comfort and pleasure to the high cost of
living. But" he added, 81 guess may
be they have q little more when I am
there. know they clean up around the
barns and stables because they joke to
me about ii, for they say, Have to clean
up. The tester is coming"
The job of COW testing Is no bed Of
roses. There ia not much chance for
holidays or Sundays either when twenty
six farms are to be visited and tests
made morning and night at each farm.
The tester must rise early in order to
be at the barn for milking. Then break
fast and whole morning taken up with
making tests and fixing up the records.
The afternoons are partly leisure times
but when five or six o'clock brings milk
ing around again he is back on duty.
The clerical labor connected with the
estiDg job is quite task in itself.
Full monthly reports are sent to the
agricultural college. The records of
every farm, ss kept day by day by the
farmers, must be summed up for the
month, and summary prepared of the
entire work of the association, showing
the standing of the different herds and
Individual cows. II the farms average
but ten cows apiece there are close to
800 cows tabulated. The testers are
making practice of publishing the sum-
maries each month in the local papers.
This publicity has been found to be of
great value inspiring rivalry among the
farmers, which of course is spur to
of the herds and better
care of the cows.
The testing and reports are, however,
only the basis for the real work Of the
new Ichabod. They are the object ma
erisl from which he must draw lessons.
As be boards around from farm to farm
it lie bis part to interpret the language
of the test sheets to the farmers, show
ing the way to better care, better feed
ing, and better dairying all around.
Pure bred bulls, silos, and balanced
ration are his three Rs. In way, one
may call him private tutor sent out by
the agricultural college to carry the
class room instruction of the dairy
department direct to the farmers. In
the barn at milking time, around the
supper table, in the family circle even
ings, he finds his opportunity to drop
here and there bits of the gospel OF bet
ter dairying.
As the helpfulness of COW testing
makes itself apparent in any association
the visits of the tester become more and
more welcome. he brings a message
into the homes that puts dollars in the
family purse. The farmer folks regard
him as q very worth while institution
deserving the best they have. So the
modern Ichsbod lives high on roast duck
and fried chicken.