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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 12, 1911)
10 - - THE SUNDAY OBEflOyiAX. rOTtTXAXP. XOVE3IBER 12. 19117 DEMONSTRATION TRAIN BEARER OF WELCOME MESSAGE Farmers in Central Oregon Beceive Instruction on Agricultural Topics From College Experts With Grateful Thanks. , -' "- 1 ,tx7 - ir7!s. -j; Lr;- ' . iUi AHW'r?. rT;h" "Xi ' ri- 1' . I I'l -1J BT APPISOX BENNETT. EVEUT O.-W. R. N. official, every aurirultursl rollpe lrcturor and vry othtr Individual who eccom I anted the demonstration train that re turned from a tour or Central and Kaatern Oregon lat Sunday la con fident that the trip will be fruitful of remit. The tour was a rractlcsJ and effec tive attempt to preach soil conserva tion, crop rotations. Intensive farming and livestock ralslna- to those portions of the state that are either undeveloped or that have not progressed as rapidly a other sections with equal oppor tunities. Thousands of farmers heard the advice either from the mouths of the expert of the agricultural college or had It Impressed upon them by viewing the exhibits on the train. Party la Lanre. ' It may be well to recapitulate the party accompanying . the train on Its return, practically the same as made the entire trip. The lecturer, repre senting the Oregon Agricultural Col lege, were the following: James Withy combe. F. L. Kent. James Iryden. E. U Potter. Robert Wlthycombe. H. I'm berger. Orau Beaty. C. E. Robinson. O. R. Hyslop and V. W. Harris. The rail, way party and guests follow: R. B. Mil ler, traffic manager; F. Robinson, general freight agent; William JlcMur ray. general passenger agent: Hugh J. O'Neill, traveling freight and passen ger agent for the Deschutes line: H. C Oliver, traveling freight and passen ger agent. Oregon division; F. L. Crey kendall. assistant superintendent: J. A. McLood. secretary to Mrs Robinson: J. B. Olover. agent at Portland station; IX O. Lively, of the Portland I'nlon Stockyards, and Mrs. Lively; Byron Hunter, of the Department of Agri culture. George M. Welster. official photographer: Addison Bennett, of The Oregonlaa: Phil S. Bates, of the Pa rifle Northwest, and Colonel A. a Jlnrse. asocial represenlatlre of the traffic department, who was In Imme. elate charge of the train and the party. la addltloa there were two fuU train crews, a chef and two porters, mak Ine: about 43 passenger alltold. The arrangements were a6out as near perfect as one could wish for. There were no hitches or Jars or accident of any kind. The train was usually on time, the meals were good, especially those served on the car. A to tha other It may not seem proper to ln gle out any Individual case, but the din ner given by the Commercial Club at Culver on a notice of only a little more than two hours, was a marvel for va riety and toothsomeness, reflecting great credit on Mrs. W. P. Myers, of the "ulver House, where It was served. rt la Great. But these things are but the settings, the Incidentals. The train was sent out by the O.-W. n. A N. Co. to do mls stonary work. The expense to the com pany was very great, for they did noth ing half way. The seeds they gave away cost money, but that was only a small Item compared to the other costs. And the whole question now Is. Was the trip one that will cause enough peo ple to adopt better methods of farming to eventually repay the company for the outlay? There I no way to get at the an swer save by the Interest which was displayed by the people of the various section visited: but. taking thla as a criterion, and comparing It with the interest of the six former similar trains sent out by the same company. It Is certain that something haa oc curred to arouse the people who came out to meet the train, for never at a religious revival even was there a greater desire for more knowledge evi denced by the convert than that hown by the farmers who listened to the lectures on this trip. It la a matter of general knowledge that the settlers and land owner jf the four counties visited have traveled a rather rocky road for the last three TC&r. That Is no secret, and had tot ought to be. And no one know better than these men who have suffered by short crop that something must be done to change conditions or there will be still greater flamnelal troubles among them than at present. And It seems evident that they are now tak ing hold of the matter with a firm desire to profit by those sent to teach them, the best teachers In the North west the staff of the Oregon Agricul tural College. Instructors Practical Hea. These teachers are not merely the orist. Every man of them has kept close to the soil, haa learned the piac tlcal as well as the theoretical sldeaof the buslnesa he Is trying to better by his teaching. And the settler, know this, therefore have faith In tfm. At least their conduct on this entire trip showed that. Take the last meeting at Madras, which was merely typical of the oth ers. It differed only in point of num ber from the others because the train was a mile or more from the town, up a steep hill, and very few townspeople and carcely any children came out. Hence the meeting was almost entire ly made up of farmers, tillers of the soil. And their eagerness for the new gospel of rotation and cultivation, se lection and diversification wa almost pathetic even tragic Think of 100 tanner sitting for three hours listen ing, questioning and telling their trou bles to those spreading the priceless Ideas for their future success. And when the train pulled out many of them tlll stood there watching the lecturer and exhibit with hungry eyes. There is one thing certain; if the trip does not result In much good then tner U no longer any faith to bo placed In human nature, for hundreds and hundreds of those who listened to the teachers averred that they would try and follow their Instructions. And they will. They are intelligent men. honest and Industrious men and they have spread to their homes with a grim determination, a set purpose, to do better, farming in the future than they have In the past. So much for the elders; how about the children? There Is not a particle of doubt that the young- people who listened to the lectures will become a mighty force for good. . It will take years for this good, to all come out. but it is as sure as the sun shines and water runs that many of the youths who beard the stories from the college experts will have their whole sweetened by the teachings. Children Travel Fsr to Hear. One of the touching Incidents of the trip occurred at Culver. There Is a district school some eight miles east of that town called the Red Rock School. There are 24 scholars In the district and every one of them came over to listen and Jearn. Their teacher, lues Olive H. Mortimer, a Portland woman, had them In charge. They were on a large farm wagon, gaily decorated, with four stout horses as the motive power. As they came near the train they halted and gave the fol lowing yell with a spirit and vim In describable: Red Rock. Red Rock, who are we? Future pupils of the O. A C. They had a fine lunch with them and had a regular picnic on the plat form of one of the Culver warehouses. In talking with Miss Mortimer later Bhe said that she believed the desire to become a pupil of the college would never die out of those young- minds, and that many of them would live up to their yell. Taking a narrow view of the trip. It Is sure that the railway people have made many friends and patrons by It. The communities visited are beyond doubt very grateful for the visits paid them. In MiiMiller's talks he showed how Impossible It was for his com pany to prosper unless the people were successful, explaining tkat to all In tents and purposes the railway and the people of the communities through which It passes are partners and both must go up ,or down together. The farmers seem to feel that that view Is true, and they are very grateful for what the company has done to show them the light and their feeling for the Oregon Agricultural College, or rather their love, will likewise 'be ac centuated and strengthened. Italy's Historic Crown. Harper's "Weekly. The historic iron crown of Italy has played a romantic role In the history of the peninsula. It was made In the year S4 by the command. It Is said, of Theo- dolinda, the widow of a Ijombard King, on the occasion of her marriage ' to a Duke of Turin. The crown is of iron overlaid with gilt. Its significance was supposed to lay In the fact that the weight of roy alty could never be lightened by Its splendid exterior. The Iron of the inner portion was traditionally held to be one of the long nails used at tha crucifixion. For a long time the crown was in the keeping of the famous monastery at Monza. In 774 it was brought forth to be placed upon the head of Charle magne as "King of the Lombards," and on later occasions It figured In the triumph of Frederic IV and Charles V. Finally, in the presence of all the representatives of state, the foreign envoys and princes and officers. Na poleon Bonaparte solemnly united It t the crown of France. The crown belongs to the state, and the custodian of it is the legitimate representative of the basilica of Monza, The title of "grand custodian." how ever, pertains to the head of the Order of Cavaliers. A Sarcastic German Allegory. Llppincott's. On a recent trip to Germany, Doctor Harvey Wiley, the Government's pure food expert, heard an allegory with reference to the subject of food adul teration which, he contends, should cause Americans to congratulate them selves that things are so well ordered In this respect In the United States. The German allegory was substan tially as follows: Four flies, which had made their way Into a certain pantry, determined to have a feast. , ..... One flew to the sugar and ate heart ily; but soon died, for the sugar was full of white lead. The second chose the flour as his diet, but he fared no better, for the flour was loaded with piaster of Paris. The third sampled the syrup, but his six legs were presently raised in the air. for the syrup was colored with aniline dyes. - - The fourth fly. seeing all his friends dead, determined to end his life also, and drank .deeply of the fly-poison which he found in a convenient saucer. He Is still alive and in good health. That, too, was adulterated, - 4 A i