USA > Minnesota > Polk County > Compendium of history and biography of Polk County, Minnesota > Part 17
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Two new buildings were completed in the fall of that year, viz .: Robertson Hall, named in honor of William Robertson, the first superintendent of Crooks- ton School of Agriculture, and a girls' dormitory, which provides accommodations for 75 young ladies, and is a model home for girls attending the school. It is a three-story brick building, with beautifully tinted interior walls and with good architectural lines exteriorly. Climbing vines which eventually will cover the outside walls greatly add to its homelike appearance. The other building, the David L. Kiehle Building, was named in honor of former State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Regent, and University Professor, Dr. David L. Kiehle. This, the fifth of the school buildings, and one of the largest, is also one of the most useful on the eampus. It con- tains a well equipped gymnasium and a beautiful au- ditorium (which is pronounced by all as one of the most beautiful rooms in the State, seating about 500), administrative offices, and the library.
MOVING YEAR.
The Experiment Station buildings were located on a tract of slightly elevated land near the northwest corner of the farm. It was found that the school campus required more room. During 1911, therefore, numerous changes were made. A elass room building and minor station buildings had been provided by the 1911 session of the Legislature. In order to find a suitable loeation for this strneture and others that the School would soon require, due to its rapidly increas- ing attendance, it became necessary to remove the horse barn, dairy barn, poultry house, and the farm
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HOME ECONOMICS BUILDING AND STEPHENS HALL.
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY OF POLK COUNTY
house to new locations on a permanent campus plan. Four cottages for married members of the station and School faculty were also built that year. The class room building, which was completed in 1912, was named the Hill Building, in honor of James J. Ilill, who was present at the dedicatory exercises. It is a fine three-story structure, beautifully finished in oak throughout, and admirably arranged to accom- modate the various departments. With the horticul- ture and botany departments on the first floor, agronomy on the second, and English, agricultural chemistry, and physics, and normal training depart- ments on the third floor, it made possible a degree of efficiency in actual school room work hitherto impos- sible at the Crookston School.
SCHOOL FACULTY.
The policy of building up the departments of the Agricultural School and Experiment Station by se- curing well trained and able specialists for each was given prominence by the new administration. Prof. C. E. Brown, in charge of poultry investigations and teaching, continued in his position. Prof. J. D. Bils- borrow became the Station's first agronomist, followed by Prof. O. 1. Bergh, who in turn was succeeded by Prof. F. L. Kennard, the first two leaving to accept positions which lack of means and opportunity pre- cluded the Northwest's station from offering them. In 1911, Prof. T. M. McCall came from Iowa State College, at Ames, to take charge of the horticultural and botany departments, a position he still holds and in which he has rendered very efficient services to the State. Professors F. H. Sargent and Robert B. Bax- ter carried on the dairy and animal husbandry work until 1913, when these departments were merged and put in charge of Prof. Wm. Dietrich, formerly of the Illinois Experiment Station, an able teacher and investigator. Prof. T. R. Sewall, the present head of the farm engineering department, came from the Cen- tral School at St. Anthony Park, in 1911. Prof. J. P. Bengston, now in charge of the boys' dormitories and who is also an instructor, resigned his position as su-
perintendent of the Rosean City Schools, in 1913, to accept a position with this institution.
Miss Bess M. Rowe, Miss Laura Franklin, Miss Mabel H. Olsen, Miss Faith S. Brown, and Miss Grace B. Sherwood occupied responsible positions at the school, the latter having charge of the teachers' train- ing department. The progress that the School and Station has made is due to the strong, earnest efforts of the faculty members and station workers. In this brief sketch it is impossible to state more fully an account of their services.
EQUIPPING A TECHNICAL SCHOOL.
The Legislature in 1913 continued its interest in the Crookston School, providing two major additions to the buildings, besides placing the annual support fund on a more substantial basis. A central heating plant was constructed in 1913, and a second dormitory for young men, in 1914. A greenhouse and a grain storage equipment, as well as other minor buildings, completed the station group on present basis of work. A spur track was constructed in 1911 which, with the completion of the new heating plant, produced decided economics in annual maintenance.
THE SCHOOL'S GROWTH.
We can look to the buildings and equipment, the school campus and grounds, class rooms, and other outward evidences which indicate increasing prepar- edness and efficiency, but no institution must be per- mitted to gauge its service by these things. The students of a school and its graduates must be sought out if a school's real history is to be written. The State Institution at Crookston is elosing its tenth year at this time. Six hundred and eighty-one students have enrolled during the regular school terms, with 181 in its junior course, 835 in its summer course for teachers, and many thousands at its farmers' short courses and farmers' week meetings, which are held in Crookston every February. Twenty Northwestern Minnesota counties have learned of the school and the work of its students, not only in the class rooms,
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY OF POLK COUNTY
laboratories, and shops, but of its work in creating power, in adapting itself to the social life one is to live, in meeting the fuller requirements of citizenship and of co-operative community life which must char- acterize the bountiful and full country life which all recognize is desired. The school is a dormitory insti- tution whereunder men and women of poise, integrity, lofty aims, and high visions, the young men and women, aequire ideals of conduct that shall last as long as there is life. Sports, indoor and outdoor, social activities; musie, in band, orchestra, glee elub and chorus, piano and voiec,-all contribute to the upbuilding of the individual and to inereasing the joys and happiness of the group. Public speaking and debates are recognized as essentials in the courses and are required of all. At an agricultural school, where farmers are to be trained, the ability to think clearly, to write or speak easily, is an important work to do. Nothing can be said about the extensive courses in agriculture and home training, nor about the more recently organized courses in teacher training. Bul- letins and cirenlars describe this work in detail.
ITS WORK OUTSIDE SCHOOLROOM DOORS.
The history up to the present time of the North- west School of Agriculture and Experiment Station would not be complete without a statement regarding its work and influence outside of the class rooms and experimental plots. Reference has been made to the organization, in 1903, of the Red River Valley Dairy- men's Association, of which Superintendent T. A. Hoverstad was the guiding spirit. Prof. Robertson continued the interest of the station in this organiza- tion, and was followed by Superintendent C. G. Selvig, who is the present president. This organization has
accomplished much in the interest of dairy farming and manufacturing. The Red River Valley ITorti- cultural Society, under the leadership of Station men, is an active organization, its members being interested in tree and fruit growing. In these various organiza- tions, the Station and School workers are simply the means which various committees may use in aeeom- plishing certain things. The Farmers' Short Course and Agricultural Exhibit, begun at the Agricultural School in 1911, was branehed out and increased so much in magnitude that in 1913 it was necessary to hold the meetings at Crookston. The Farm Crops Show and Meetings have come to be annual elearing house for ideas and plans to make the Red River Val- ley not only more productive, but to make home and school, eity and country, better and more fit to live in.
The Northern Minnesota Poultry Association, the Red River Valley Live Stock Breeders' Association, and the Red River Valley Seed Growers' Association are all broadly educational. They serve to inerease the spirit of co-operation, to break down community distrusts and to realize more fully the possibilities and potentialities of that full and abundant life which is vonehsafed every one, in eity or country.
This brief sketeh of the Northwest School of Agri- culture and Experiment Station can well elose in testifying to the influence and service of farmers' clubs and of community centers in consolidated schools of this great seetion of the State. The exten- sion service of the institution sprang into existence in helping to organize elubs and to promote the or- ganization of such schools. This service is justifying itself and those groups are increasingly finding their full value as ageneies for action and service.
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SENIOR HALL
HILL BUILDING
Jasy Hel
CHAPTER XIII. THE NORTHWEST SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE AND EXPERIMENT STATION.
BY SUPERINTENDENT C. G. SELVIG.
ORIGIN AND EARLY HISTORY-SECURING THE LAND FOR A SITE-BEGINNINGS IN 1895-THE SOIL AT THE STATION- PLANS OUTLINED-THE WORK OF EARLY YEARS-DRAINAGE INSTALLED-DRAINAGE WORK BEGUN-A NEW AD- MINISTRATION-EXPERIMENTS IN CROP PRODUCTION-FIELD CROP WORK-THE HORTICULTURAL DIVISION- LIVE STOCK DEPARTMENTS, ETC.
THE NORTHWEST EXPERIMENT STATION.
Sometime before 1894 Prof. Willet M. Hays, of Minnesota Experiment Station, St. Anthony Park, had made a study regarding the best location for two other experiment farms in Minnesota besides the one at St. Anthony Park. There were two great areas of the State considered in this survey, viz: the Red River Valley and the adjacent parts of the northwest part of the State, and the lighter soils of the great north central timbered section. By consulting the State geological surveys, and doing some traveling, he had formulated a general plan as to where these farms should be located.
There had been some agitation of this question among the citizens of the Red River Valley, resulting in a delegation being sent to urge the establishment of an experiment farm before the Legislative committee to whom a bill had been referred. Favorable action resulted, for at the Legislative session of 1895, $30,000 was appropriated with which to procure equipment, and for the two following years to conduct two sub- experiment farms. They were placed under the direc- tion of the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota.
Several tracts of land were considered for the loca- tion of the Northwest Experiment Farm by the Agri- cultural Committee of the Board of Regents, consist-
ing of Wm. W. Liggett, Chairman; J. S. Pillsbury, S. M. Owen, and W. W. Pendergast, and by Prof. W. M. Hays who had made a study of the northern half of the State. It was finally located by the Board of Regents at Crookston, Polk County, on land do- nated by the Great Northern Railway, through the generosity and liberal mindedness of President J. J. Hill and Samnel Hill. It was considered that prob- lems to be solved upon this area were the problems of many communities in the Red River Valley, espe- cially the problem of drainage. This reason weighed largely in the minds of the Committee, for the land selected was extremely low, there being higher land on the north, east, south, and southwest. A shallow coulee drained a part of the waters to the northwest. The ditch established later followed this natural out- let. It was regarded as advantageous to have such a tract of land for experimental purposes and for investigational use.
The tract donated to be used for the Northwest Ex- periment Farm contains 476.61 acres, according to a United States Government survey which was made in 1872. It comprises the north half and southeast quarter of Section 19, Crookston Township. Its south line is the northern limit of the city of Crookston. 'The farm buildings were located in the northwest corner of the section, approximately two miles from the center of the city.
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SECURING THE LAND.
This tract of land remained in the possession of the General Government until March, 1878, when the ownership of this traet was transferred to the State of Minnesota, which in turn transferred it on the same date, to the St. Panl & Pacific Railway Com- pany, now a part of the Great Northern Railway system. All of it had remained unimproved in the possession of the railway, exeepting about fifty aeres which had been broken, eropped, and filled with mus- tard and other weeds by trespassers, until 1895, when the University of Minnesota was given permission to use it for an experimental farm. In 1903 an agree- ment was made with the railway by which the Uni- versity could become the purchaser of the land at any time at $25 per aere, but could have the posses- sion of it free of charge so long as it was used for educational or experimental purposes.
BEGINNINGS IN 1895.
Work at the experiment farm began in 1895, when the city of Crookston and the County of Polk each gave $1,000, which was utilized for drainage and mak- ing of roads around and through the Northwest Farm. Prof. W. M. Hays was placed in general charge of the equipment and plans for experimental work, and Mr. T. A. Hoverstad was chosen assistant agricul- turist, and was given the local management of this Northwest Farm, at Crookston, as Superintendent.
SOIL AT NORTHIWEST STATION.
The surface soil at the Northwest Experiment Farm is a blackish eolor, usually about twelve inches in depth, although at places it becomes very thin, while at others the dark material extends in slender streaks for 18 to 30 inehes down into the lighter subsoil. Two distinet types of soil were mapped on the farm. The larger portion is of Fargo clay loam soil, which eon- tains a very large per cent of organic matter. This renders the soil loamy and easily cultivated, when in a dry condition; but when wet, it is stieky and tenacious, clods badly, and does not seour well, mak-
ing plowing almost impossible. The other type of soil, ealled the Fargo fine sandy loam, is easily cultivated, and ean be plowed much earlier in the spring and summer after heavy rains, than the heavy type of soil.
PLANS OUTLINED.
The plans outlined for the Northwest Farm in- eluded the production for dissemination of the best grains produced by the station; the testing of varie- ties of grains, roots, trees, and fruits; field manage- ment; tillage and weeds; pastures and meadows; for- age and pastures from annual erops; prairie fores- try; road making; feeding work horses and other stock; breeding animals; and dairying. All of these were to be studied with referenee to conditions in this part of the State. These plans involved extended investigations to answer questions which could be properly studied only in this peculiar part of the state.
WORK OF EARLY YEARS.
The work from 1896 up to the installation of the drainage diteh, in 1909, was difficult and the results uneertain, on account of excessive rainfall and laek of drainage during the greater time of this period. The reports of the Northwest Experiment Farm present these difficulties very vividly. In the spring of 1896 the rainfall was so constant and excessive that the season for planting grain erops had practically passed before the seed could be planted. In 1897, floods just before harvest nearly ruined the wheat and oats. The need of an adequate drainage system was early recognized ; but the problem was one requiring a considerable expenditure of money and the co-op- eration of several ageneies, which it took some time to secure. A yield of 23 bushels of wheat to the aere is reported for 1897, with an average of 20.9 for three- year period. Oats averaged 47 bushels to the aere in a three year test, and barley varieties averaged from 26.6 bushels to 31.7 bushels to an aere. A eon- siderable number of trees were planted which afford at the present time both windbreak and shade.
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ANOTHER VIEW, INCLUDING SUPERINTENDENT'S RESIDENCE.
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY OF POLK COUNTY
July 25, 1897, lightning caused a fire which de- stroyed the barn with several horses and a larger por- tion of the collection of farm tools and conveyances. The total loss was $6,000. A new barn was con- structed for the $3,000 received from insurance on the one destroyed.
The season of 1899 was somewhat unfavorable for field experiments at the Northwest Farm, as seeding was delayed until the latter part of May and the first part of June. A heavy hail storm came just before harvest. Successful work was done with clover and with cultivated forage crops. Corn tests were begun. The forestry planting was considerably increased. In 1900, excessive rainfalls and inadequate drainage again feature the reports, interfering with the small grains. Tests in growing fodder corn proved suc- cessful; seedling plums fruited; six thousand trees were planted in the nursery ; and a poultry plant was successfully started. A cattle barn was authorized by the Legislature in 1901. During these years, con- siderable work was done in preparing for a complete system of drainage, which it was hoped could be put into operation in 1905.
DRAINAGE INSTALLATION.
William Robertson was appointed superintendent of the Northwest Farm in 1904, entering upon his work in 1905. The three years preceding 1905, he reported as having been unusually wet in the Red River Valley. Most of his energy was devoted to the matter of securing suitable drainage for the farm.
In 1903, an appropriation of $5,000 was made by the State Legislature for drainage, and in the follow- ing summer the highway and railway ditches which had been opened up were supplemented by 1,285 rods of capstan plow ditch. This ditch extended east and west across the farm, thence northwest through a shal- low coulee to Lowell Diteh No. 1. These ditches re- moved some of the surface water, but were not of suffi- cient capacity to remove the water quickly at the spring thaws, or after heavy rains. The Legislature of 1905 made an additional appropriation of $4,000
to be used in drainage and experimenting with tile drainage.
DRAINAGE WORK BEGUN.
A district survey was made by the Department of Agriculture in the fall of 1895, and a petition was circulated for a county diteh passing the north side of the farm which would also furnish drainage to con- siderable territory north and east of the farm. In April, 1906, this petition was granted, and Polk County Ditch No. 60 was established. The office of Experiment Stations at Washington, D. C., was in- vited to co-operate, and John T. Stewart was ap- pointed to supervise the work for the department. Plans were drawn for laying about 50,000 feet of tile and digging of one and one-half miles of open diteh. A portion of the farm was to be supplied with sur- face drainage for comparison of results. The tiles were laid at different distances apart, and at different depths, and wells were established at different dis- tanees from the tiles to determine the effect of tiles upon the water level. Tests were to be made of the alkali content of both the water and the soil at times before and after the drainage was installed, in order to determine the effect of drainage upon this feature. Expense data on the installation was kept.
The seasons of 1906, 1907, and 1908 were given up to the work on ditching and laying tile. Bulletin No. 110 was written describing this work. The year 1908 was one of the driest years on record. Experi- ments with elover and alfalfa showed favorable re- sults. Five additional varieties of alfalfa were seeded that year, selected as to hardiness and yield.
NEW ADMINISTRATION.
Superintendent William Robertson died in Jan- uary, 1910. IIe was succceded by Mr. Selvig. A fuller account of Mr. Robertson's work and services is to be found in the school section of this history. In 1911, the work at the Northwest Station became largely experimental and investigational work was conducted under station specialists in direct charge
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY OF POLK COUNTY
of departmental projects. The superintendent was in direct charge of both the Agricultural school and ex- periment station, and assumed specific charge of the drainage work and of co-operative work with school students and farmers in the Red River Valley. This plan brought extensive additions to the station work, and has already succeeded in making the station a clearing house for the solution of vexed questions that arise in connection with farming in Northwestern Min- nesota, which it was originally intended the experiment station should become. With the completion of the drainage system, this new work was made possible although many handicaps and drawbacks still had to be met. The problems of lack of surface drainage, of foul weeds, or general adaptation to the new work were met, however, and the station has taken forward steps which are increasing every year.
EXPERIMENT IN CROP PRODUCTION.
At the present time, the experimental work cm- braces, besides the drainage investigations which have been outlined. the following lines of work: In the agronomy section, there is work in eultural meth- ods with farm crops, including rate of seeding wheat, oats, and barley, using six rates for each; date of seeding winter wheat, alfalfa, winter rye, and barley, using four dates for each ; and plowing and sub-soiling, packing subsoil, a comparison of tractor and horse plowing and disking, dates of plowing and disking stubble before plowing.
The work in varietal tests of farm crops includes variety tests of all farm crops, with the object of getting the varieties best adapted to northwestern Minnesota conditions, and co-operative tests, with various divisions of the College of Agriculture, Uni- versity of Minnesota, St. Paul, and the United States Department of Agriculture in testing wheat, for mill- ing purposes; flax, for fiber; wheat hybrids, for rust resistance ; and corn varieties.
FIELD CROP WORK.
The results of the season of 1915 at the Northwest Experiment Station indicate what is being done there
along crop production lines. The station has been drained since 1909, and each year's results are more and more indicative of the improved conditions re- garding plant growth.
In 1915, the highest yield per acre of oats was 98.7 bushels in a rate of seeding plot. The lowest in this series was 80 bushels. The next highest was 95.3 bushels per acre in a fertilizer plot series, with the lowest yield in that series of 70.3 bushels to the acre.
A 16.3 acre field averaged 77 bushels, and a 28.5 acre field averaged 75.5 bushels, and a field of Early Roosevelt oats yielded 82.2 bushels per acre.
The highest yield of barley per acre, was 65.2 bushels in the fertilizer plot series. A field of 19.7 acres averaged 43.4 bushels per acre, and a field of 44.85 acres averaged 42.5 bnshels per acre.
The highest yield of wheat per acre was 40.8 bush- els per acre, and in the rotation series the highest yield was 32.46 bushels, and in the variety series the highest was 40.8 bushels per acre. These yields are the result of improved strains of seed, drainage, man- agement, and soil condition.
Seeds and trees are distributed to co-operators, in order to determine the varieties of farm crops and trees best adapted to Northwestern Minnesota. In this work it will be necessary to distribute improved strains of seeds of cercals, forage, root, and vegetable crops, and hardy varieties of trees, grown at this Sta- tion, to test them on farms located where soil and moisture conditions are different. The sale of pure bred seeds and of nursery stock is included in this project. Tests on fifty farms were in progress in 1915. This number will be materially increased.
The corn breeding work has for its object the secur- ing of corn with carly maturity.
Several crop rotation plans are being followed, and a study made of resulting crop yields, soil fertility, and weed conditions.
Extensive fertilizer tests are being made in co-op- cration with Division of Soils, University Farm, St. Paul. These tests comprise an investigation of the effects of commercial fertilizers, with and without
Allatta Seed Distributed to 521 Farmers
"Pair of Youngsters"
Alumni Naking Good Fossbakkens, Fossten
Summer Time
"Sir Hello"
A Duree Favorite"
N.W. Station Holsteins
A Variety
Station Short Horns
Station Holsteni
A Yard of Calves"
STOCK AT NORTHWEST EXPERIMENT STATION
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY OF POLK COUNTY
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