Evening star., 1922-03-05
LEARNING METHODS
OF YANKEE FARMERS
Tillers of Soil in Argentina Eager for Bull
letins Issued by United States De-
partment Of Agriculture.

lished in Argentina. and many of
them allot the majority. OF their
space to articles prepared for them
by members Of the Argentine embassy a;y
advertising indicates large circu-
lation, and the fact that so many new
publications have found instant sue
cess proves their popularity.
Through the press the Argentine
embassy is reaching thousands of
farmers. The articles are not con-
fined to agricultural magazines en-
tirely. for the daily papers give prom
inent position and generous space to
matter sent from the Washington en-
bassy Discounting all but mere rep
etition. it is easy to see the effect of
this system of propagating education.
Argentina bids fair to model her aE-
ricultural methods on those OF the
United States.
Now there are a great many farm
ers in the United States who don't
care fiddlesticks about Department
OF Agriculture bulletin. partly be-
cause of their lack of education ID
partly because of their unwillingness
to take up new.fangled notions: The
same is true in Argentina The farm
er has to be reached by something he
can see growing in the ground. So
the embassy here has been sending
them seed-seed from champion stock
grown in the United States, for the
ton to the government experiment
stations
The upper floor of the big Argentine
embassy building on Corcoran street
the other day looked something like
the farmers barn loft when he's get
ting out his seed for spring sowing.
There were big bags of seed for
wheat. peas, rye and other crops. tied
up and ready for shipment into nearly
every part of Argentina. The wheat
seed cost the embassy So bushel. 1t
came from stock which won the grand
prize at Chicago show not long ago.
The embassy wired for a certain
quantity of this wheat the other day
and received reply rather typical
of the Yankee farmer-these days, es-
pecially. when he takes no chance. 1t
said: "Send us the money first and
We'll send you the seed"
The seed is sent free to the Ar
gentine farmer. One of them cabled
the embassy not long ago for 500
worth OF a certain seed. The money
turned the 800 and is sending the
seed. This looks like a pretty good
way of helping the Argentine farm
ers and building up a demand for
American products at the same time.
X r
Have you ever card of kutzu? Kutzu
is a great thing in Japan. 1t belongs
to the alfalfa family, and they say
it grows wherever the seed is sown.
In addition to providing nutritious
fodder for live stock. the kutzu grows
from a root that contains a valuable
starch. used in Japan in the prep
aration of bread and pastry. The
embassy here decided to start the
kutzu growing in Argentina. But
only eight seeds were obtainable in
the United States. They were sent
OF the department of agriculture in
Argentina. which has already pro-
duced plants from them whose re-
nown has spread in this shoft time.
So the embassy sent all the way to
Japan for supply of the seed, which
arrived in Washington last week and
is now on its way to Argentina.
One of the interesting develop
ments of this scheme is the way in
which the farmers in Argentina have
been brought into direct contact with
the Washington embassy. They are
writing letters by the score. which
contain requests for all sorts of in
formation. And the embassy staff
finds it difficult to keep up with the
not to mention matters of state. Not
long ago an Argentine farmer cabled
the embassy here to send him an
American poultry brooder, with a
capacity for 1000 chicks. The en-
bassy cabled back advising him that
the American farmer would use three
brooders with capacities of $50 or so
chicks each. The farmer cabled back
to get them and send them along.
When such business between farm
ers and an ambassador is carried on
by cable there is interest and demand
back of it.
A long time ago the native Indians
in certain parts of Argentina were
proficient in the art of weaving.
Home weaving was a principal in
dustry and the Indians paid their
taxes to the Spanish conquerors for
many years with the product of their
roughly made looms.
Now that the slump in the wool
business Of Argentina has brought
about a crisis. a systematic effort is
being made to revive this home
weaving by teaching it in the schools
Senor Clemente Onelli director of the
geological gardens in Buenos Aires.
who is described by the Argentine
ambassador as one of the most pro-
gressive men of his country, Is
student of the old Indian life Of Ar
gentina, and thoroughly familiar with
the art of weaving as they practiced
it, 1t is under his direction that
weaving is being taught in the
schools, with the idea in view of re-
storing an old industry and creating
a productive employment for labor.
Mr.. lie Breton has sent Senor Onelli
a description of the looms used in the
Washington schools for instruction
work and a bulletin on how weaving
is taught here.
The ambassador has just received a
number of samples Of the work of
Argentine school children. which he
intends to place on view. with the
Argentine exhibit in the Pan-Amer-
ican Union.