Oklahoma Farmer (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 13, No. 32, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 7, 1904 Page: 1 of 16
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the one down-to-date farm papkr of oklahoma and ind. 1 uk.
Vol. XIII, No. 32
Guthrie, Oklahoma, Wednesday, December 7, 1904%
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Street scene in Chandler during th e cotton marketing season.
Institute work.
Deeper interest is being taken in the
work of farmers' institutes this fall
than ever was taken before. Attend-
ance at hte meetings is greater and the
quality of the papers shows study—
not of books so®much as of conditions
met every day on the farms. The re-
sult is not in doubt. The Oklahoma
farmer wijl achieve greater results fti,
direct ratio to his deepening inter-
est in growing things at the greatest
advantage.
The faremrs' institutes are the best.
things in Oklahoma. The board of ag-
riculture is the greatest legislation thift
the legislature has taken forward steps
in since (he territory came «to be a
good country.
And in this acceptance of the situa-
tion and effort on the part of the
farmers is seen the best argument why
the legislature should do something
more f6r the farmer interests which
are the paramount interests, after all,
in the entire territory of Oklahoma
The board of agriculture needs more-
money. It needs more money than any
other institutio'n in Oklahoma. It is
doing a great work and the work is for
the good of the taxpayers of the terri-
tory. The money that will be expend-
ed by the board under Increased appro-
priations will bring more returns than
any money expended under the direc-
tion of the lawmaking powers of the
territory.
It is up to the legislature to take
notice of the i'nterest that centers
about the agricultural department and
about the institutes and provide a few
things which will be asked for by the
board.
One ^urgent need of the board
is a provision for gathering reliable
statistics of crops and farm animals
and data of like nature to be used for ®
the benefit of the farmers of the terri-
tory. This need not cost a great deal
as there-are officers who are in a po- -
sition to do the work but the law must
be made mandatory and the officers
duly instructed in the importance of
doing things provided in the law.
Short Course Plans.
Interest in the short course of agri-
culture at the Agricultural and Mechan-
ical college is growing all of the time. „
Accessions of students are" of regular
occurrence. And the work taught
is such as is of every day practical
benefit to the student. It can be taken
home with the student any day and
be of immediate value to him in his
daily work.
The interest that real farming is cre-
ating as a college course is flattering
50 Cents a Tear
Pi o Rate Expenses.
Lawton, Okla., Nov. 24.—The Inter-
est show'n at the recent irrigation ton-
gress at Mountain Park expressed the
need of irrigation in various sectipns
of southwest Oklahoma and 1,500
farmers living in the irrigation dis-
trict prdftosed by the United States
geological survey petitioned the gov-
ernment that they might oe includ-
ed in the irrigation scheme. Each one
agreeing to pay his pro rata, each farm
er to pay $13.10 in a period of ten years
to be paid in ten annual installments of
$1.31 a year. The country comprising
this district lies between the North
Pork of Red river and Otter Creek and
in all i'nelosed about 150,000 acres, or
in other words about one thousand
homesteads.
Farmers were in attendance upon
this congress who had made complete
failures on the very best land in that
section because of insufficient rain-
fall. •
to the character of instruction that is
given at the agricultural college. It
has so long been unfashionable for
farmer b8ys to study anything that
could be of benefit to them as farmers
that the reversal of the rule is worth
while.
But it is the outgrowth of a condi-
tion. In the days not long gone past
the government was rich enough to
give to everybody a farm. The field
of agriculture was the dernier resort
of every man who hai nothrng in signt.
The farm was the last "place on earth
to which an ambitious youth waald
turn his hungry gaze. The man who
had failed at law and theology and
medicine and in -business went "back
to the ■farm."
Under this condition it was not to
be expected that the farm would at-
tract. But the free homes are all gone.
1 he consuming population is greater
and the producing population is not
greater in a ratio that will maintain
the discredit to the producer.
So now that agriculture is the pre-
mier profession and is so taken and
accepted by the wise of the young men
the result is better education for the
profession.
Oklahoma is fortunate in being in the
front Tank of states that have institu-
tions to upply this new and ever-in-
creasing want.
Still Much Cotton.
Muskogee, I. T., Nov. 24.—Although
the season for cotton picking has al-
most passed, there are still many fields
that have been practically untouched.
The plants are being killed by the
lrosts and th^ cotton bolls are goipg
to waste, because there fs no o'ne to
pick them. The amount of cotton which
will go to waste in this way this sea-
son will be enormous.
This condition is due to several
causes, the chief of which is the in-
difference and shiftlessness of many of
the cotton raisers of the territory. They
are renters and their crops are heavily
mortgaged and would go into the hands
of hteir creditors if gathered. They
prefer to allow them to remain in the
fields rather than to go to the expense
of picking cotton which will go to
other men. In some localities it has
been almost impossible to hire cotton
pickers and crops are going to waste
for this reason.
Boll Weevil Menace.
New Orleans, La., Nov. 24.—The
>.ew Orleans Cotton Exchange will
se-hd a committee of ten members to
attend the boll weevil convention at
Shreveport and urge strong and de-
cided action to stop ravages of the
weevil.
The local exchange ®is thoroughly
aroused to the seriousness of the sit-
uation.
Judge J. C. Pugh, of Shreveport'
is here in the Interest of the Shreve-
port convention, which will be held
December l to 15, i'nclusive. He had
an informal conference with presi-
dent Brittin, Secretary Hester, Sena-
to Cordill and others at the ex-
change. .
As a result there will be an im-
portant meeting of the board of di-
rectors of the Cotton Exchange held
Saturday at which a plan of campaign
will be outlined.
Congressman Lovering of Massachu-
setts, who sailed with Secretary Taft
and party for Panama, will make ev-
ery effort to get back for the conven-
tion. He Is one of the largest manu-
facturers of cotton goods in the world.
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Greer, Frank H. Oklahoma Farmer (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 13, No. 32, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 7, 1904, newspaper, December 7, 1904; Guthrie, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc88028/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.