The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1922-10-12
EXTENSION WORK
VERY IMPORTANT
Movement to Discontinue Club Leader
and County Agent Should BE
Killed in November
OF GREAT BENEFIT TO FARMERS
Voters Should Give Matter Serious
Consideration


Consideration
Cooperative agricultural extension
work in Dickey county is to be voted
on at the coming election. A separate
ballot has been prepared for this pur-
pose and will be at the booths on cleo
tion day.
1t is hoped that every voter will un-
derstand what this ballot is for and
how it happens to be on the ticket.
This work includes county agent,
home demonstration and boys and
girls club work which has been made
possible among the farmers of the
United States by the Smith-Lever law
passed in 1913 by congress. This law
provides that the federal and state
governments shall cooperate with the
county government in the hiring of
one or more extension workers for
each county cooperating, whose duty
it shall be to demonstrate the latest
methods of raising and marketing
farm products to the citizens of that
county. 1t also provides that upon
petition of 25l1 Of the voters of the
county a tax not to exceed u mill
must be levied for the support of this
work. Upon petition of 1917 of the
voters the cooperative extension work
shall be submitted to a vote of the
people at the next general election. :.
Cooperative agricultural extension
work was put into Dickey county sew
eral years ago on petition of 25In of
the voters. Therefore. the county Of
ficers are under obligations to make
an appropriation for the support of
this work. Sufficient petitions for
placing the question on the ballot
have never been filed. Petitions were
circulated last spring to discontinue
the "better farming fund" for period
of two years. These petitions did not
meet the approval of very many Of
the voters when they were presented
to them and only 264 signers, or 8.2es
of the 3,211 electors, were secured as
signers. They were not properly
worded and in addition did not con-
tain enough signatures to warrant
vote at the coming election. How
ever, few opponents of the work
succeeded in the last minute before
election in having it placed on a sep
arate ballot. This is unfair to the
extension work, which has already
brought untold benefits to the farm
ers and their wives, sons and daugh-
ters of this county.
It is gross injustice to the farm
ers and to the Agricultural college
and federal government cooperating
that these few men representing only
81 of the voters have succeeded in
putting this valuable work on the bal
lot thinking that the wave of econ
omy sweeping over the county may be
strong enough to down the right of
the farmer to help himself through
cooperative effort and to take away
his right to give his boy and girl equal
educational advantages with those of
his city brother.
There are two ways of saving mon-
ey. One way is to refuse to buy any,
thing whether it is good or bad. The
other is to spend wisely and purchase
only the things that will return more
than their cost.
It costs the county only S4,33O to
conduct all the extension work. This
includes all the salaries and expenses
of both the county agent and the boys
and girls club leader for the entire
year. Of this amount one-seventh, or
$634.87, is paid by the railroads and
other foreign corporations. The ac-
tual cost to the farmers is less than
80 cents per quarter section or one
half cent per acre. 1t is interesting
to note that the levy for the care Of
the insane amounts to as much as the
entire extension levy and that nearly
twice as money was levied for gopher
tails as for extension work.
Is there anything to show for that
$4,330.0O? Well!
1. Total profit above cost to boys
and girls club members, s6,837.47.
2. Over 500 acres of alfalfa were
sown due to the county agents efforts.
8. Several thousand acres of sweet
clover grown for feeding stock. A
crop introduced by county agents Of
North Dakota.
4. Many farmers diversified their
farms by adding more hogs and cattle.
s. Cows used for milking in 1921,
5,243; in 1922, 15,035.
6. Twenty-nine cars of potatoes
produced in 1921; estimated 1876 cars
in 1922.
2. Nearly all these potatoes were
treated with corrosive sublimate which
increased both yield and quality, due
to county agents recommendation.
Two farmers cooperative marketing
associations are functioning in mar
keting the crop.
8. Twenty poultry culling demon
strations held during past month; IF
teen hundred slackers culled from
about 5000 birds. Estimated saving
on feed eaten by slackers, $1,000. Five
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