River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1925-07-30
AN INTERESTING HISTORY
OF TIE BADGER STATE


onstrate their correctness, the Elk
tension Division to spread this infor-
nation, and the cooperation Of agri-
cultural organizations which it fost-
ers, it takes within its scope the
whole field of agricultural education
teaching, research, and extension.
1t determines what should be done
and then through its many agencies
goes out into the field and shows the
farmer how to do it.
Contributions Given to World
The chief source of agricultural
information in Wisconsin is the Ag-
ricultural Experiment Station at
tached to the College of Agriculture.
The most noted achievement of the
experiment station one which has
given it worldwide fame and has
been of untold value to the dairy in
dustry of the world, was the inven-
ton of the famous Babcock milk
test by Professor. Babcock of this
station. Ever since the discovery by
De Laval in Sweden of the centri-
fugal process of separating cream
from milk, agricultural chemists had
sought simple, accurate and quick
method of measuring the butter fat
content of milk. This process was
the one thing needed to place CO.
operative dairy;ng on sound basis.
After a long series of experiments
Doctor Babcock in July, 1890, an
nounced the discovery of a simple
method Of testing milk for butter
fat. Within a short time the fame
Of the invention and the inventor
was as widespread as the dairy in
dustry. "The Babcock test was to
associated dairying," says Dean
Henry, what the Morse telegraph
was to railroad operation" And
be it said to the undying credit of
Doctor Babcock, who still is con-
nected with the faculty Of the uni
yersity, that he refused to have his
discovery patented and gave it free
to the world. Five other tests now
in universal use in dairying have
been invented or radically improved
at the University of Wisconsin and
together constitute the most import
ant contributions made to the science
Of dairying in recent years.
Why Hemp is Grown
The Experiment Station is for the
purpose of making such experiments
in agriculture as will test out the
various possibilities of improve.
ment. The developments of the
hemp industry is a case in point
The purpose of the tests which later
resulted in the development of the
industry was to get rank growing
crop that would be effective in rid
ding the soil Of such weeds as quack
grass and Canada thistles.
1t was found that hemp was most
successful in doing this. But this
was not sufficient No machinery
had been developed which success
fully harvested and treated this
crop. So through the cooperation of
the Experiment Station scientists
and the machinery manufacturers a
successful hemp harvesting machine
was developed. The next step was
to aid the miller, who had to treat
the crop, in improving his machin-
cry. Finally, there was the question
of marketing, and in this connection
the experiment station made a study
of the entire fibre situation through
out the world in order to place sug-
gestions before Wisconsin growers
and millers. The result of all this
was that Wisconsin quickly became
the chief source of hemp in the
United States.
The activities of the experiment
station are too manifold to enum-
crate. 1t works on the problems of
the reclamation and treatment of
soils, improvement of the beet sugar
and tobacco industry, improvement
of fruit varieties, more scientific
methods of feeding, testing of herds
with a view to raising standards of
production, eradication of tuberculo-
sis among dairy cattle, the proven
tion Of potato scab and oat smut, and
the discovery and dissemination Of
types of grains suited to Wisconsin
conditions.
Wisconsin's leadership in agricul-
ture, Hotchkiss and Cannon, authors
of this story, point ont, is due in no
small measure to the work of the
state college of agriculture. The
cnviable position that the Badger
farmer holds in the eyes of the entire
country will be told in the eleventh
installment of the "Know Wisconsin
Better series that will appear in