Proposed National Agricultural Museum Would
Tell Story of the Men Who Have Contributed
So Much to Greatness of America: Her Farmers
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
Reteaaed by Western Newspaper Union.
SOME day the United States
may have a national mu
seum, the purpose of which
will be to tell the story of
those Americans who, since
this nation-was founded, have
contributed so much to its
prosperity and to its standing
as the greatest nation on
earth. Those Americans are
our farmers.
When that museum is built
and put into operation, it will
not be a place of static ex
hibits, a storehouse of ancient
' relics in glass cases with writ
ten or printed labels to ex
plain their meaning. Instead,
it will be a “living museum”
which presents graphically
not only the history of agri
culture’s past but also the
story of its present and its
promise for the future.
The establishment of such a
museum was forecast recent
ly when the National Agricul
tural Jefferson Bicentenary
committee made a pilgrim
age to Charlottesville, Va.,
there to visit the University
of Virginia and Monticello
and pay tribute to the man
whom Claude R. Wickard,
secretary of agriculture and
chairman of the committee,
characterized as the “Found
er of Modern American Agri
culture”—Thomas Jefferson.
Anotner speaKer on mis occa
sion—and the man who made
the proposal for a national
agricultural museum — was
Herbert A. Kellar, director of
the McCormick Historical as
sociation in Chicago. Speak
ing on the subject of “Living
Agricultural Museums,” he
said in part:
Let us consider for a moment
what should be the character of a
National Agricultural museum. It
should probably be located in Wash
ington, or other appropriate place
in the United States, housed in one
or more large buildings, and sur
rounded with appropriate landscap
ing. Here, outdoors and under
glass, should be shown in cultiva
tion representative trees, shrubs,
fruits, plants, flowers, and other
vegetation of the United States. The
outer walls of the buildings should
present bas reliefs showing the
evolution of agriculture in this coun
try from the primitive Indian cul
ture of the time of first settlement
to the mechanized farming of the
present day. On the inner walls
should be placed large murals de
picting famous agricultural events
and scenes. Thus, might be found
Eli Whitney experimenting with his
cotton gin, Elkanah Watson holding
the first agricultural fair, Cyrus
Hall McCormick trying out his first
reaper, or Lincoln signing the act
creating the land-grant colleges.
Of equal interest would be the por
trayal of different types of agricul
tural operations, such as the pro
duction of wheat, corn, tobacco, cot
ton, sugar cane, rice and other field
crops, the cultivation of fruits and
flowers, and the raising of cattle
and livestock. In addition to murals
there should be a gallery of
paintings of agricultural lead
ers, representing all types of
activity. A theater should likewise
be provided where lectures, music,
plays, ballets and moving pictures
of agricultural interest might be
presented.
Dioramas and Operating Models.
The evolution of agricultural
w machinery, rural architecture, elec
1 triflcation in farm regions, transpor
™ tation, milling, tanning, meat-pack
ing. and other types of processing
should receive separate attention in
appropriate exhibits, including the
use of dioramas, operating models
and full-sized originals. The mu
seum should develop a special li
brary, include provision for publish
ing magazines, bulletins and books,
house and operate a radio station,
maintain close relations with the
agricultural press, cooperate with
the land-grant colleges, and possess
a microfilm and photostat labora
tory for reproducing copies of litera
ture about the museum, as well as
pictures of its exhibits.
An important part of the museum
should be the exhibits devoted to
the social aspect of agricultural de
velopment. The life of the rural
people should be fully portrayed for
each era and for all classes and
-----
TRIBUTE TO THE "FOUNDER OF MODERN AMERICAN AGRI
CULTURE”—Members of the National Agricultural Jefferson Bicente
nary committee meeting In the rotunda of the University of Virginia.
In the background is a statue of Thomas Jefferson, founder of the uni
versity. Seated directly behind the speaker at the microphone is Herbert
A. Kcllar, director of the McCormick Historical association, who out
lined the plans for a national agricultural museum.
places. The relation of agriculture
to geology, geography, climate and
soils, entomology, biology, chemis
try and engineering also merit
adequate*attention.
The National Agricultural mu
seum should serve as the headquar
ters of important national farm or
ganizations and provide appropriate
quarters for this purpose. This
would add prestige to .he institution.
An essential feature of the mu
seum would be to establish close
relations with educational institu
tions and organizations. On its part
the museum should offer general
and special courses in the form of
lectures, seminars and laboratory
research pertaining to various
phases of the history of agricul- j
ture and of technology in this and I
! other countries. These courses
should be open to the public, and
qualified students should be per
mitted to take them for educational
credits. In addition, the museum
should provide internships for indi
viduals desiring to specialize in the
history of agriculture and tech
nology or to learn agricultural
museum technique. In reciprocity, !
educational agencies should invite
members of the museum staff to
lecture and to give courses to the
students of the institutions and to
arrange for regular visits of stu
dents to the museum for the pur
pose of information and instruc
tion. In all the activities of the
museum its facilities should be de
veloped to promote a better under
standing of democracy, as illus
trated in our agricultural develop
ment. These and like activities fully
carried out would undoubtedly justi
fy the designation of the National
Agricultural museum as a Living
Agricultural museum.
Establish Branch Museums.
In addition to a National Agricul
tural museum located in Wash
ington, there should be associated
with it branch museums situated in
different parts of the United States.
These would be of such character
as to merit the designation, Living
Agricultural museums, to an even
greater degree than the national in
stitution.
_ _ . . . i
inese orancn museums snouia
take advantage of the existence
in numerous places in this country
of notable sites of representative
agricultural activities which flour
ished in a former day and for a
considerable period. Where pos
sible such activities should be re
created at the original locations.
Among those which come to mind
are the production of wheat, corn,
tobacco, cotton, rice, sugar cane,
indigo, hemp, flax, vegetables,
fruits, flowers, cattle and livestock,
dairying, stock farming, maple sug
ar, turpentine and lumbering. As
far as practical in each instance op
erations should be shown for sev
eral periods such as the colonial,
post-revolutionary, ante-bellum, Civ
il war, reconstruction and early 20th
century. Likewise, wherever earlier
periods are shown, some attention
should be given to present day
operations to show contrast and evo
lution. Collections of physical ob
jects, such as implements and
machines, should also be assembled
where pertinent to the particular
activity.
The bonanza wheat farming of the
Dakotas from the ’70s to the ’90s
has long vanished—yet we know
where the Dalrymples were located
and have information about them.
The lumber camps of the same pe
riod in Michigan and Wisconsin no
longer exist, yet we have volu
minous records of particular com
panies and a few tracts of virgin
timber are still standing. It would
still be possible to acquire wheat
land and timber, and to reestablish
and operate a bonanza wheat farm
or an old-time lumber camp.
There are a number of well
known tobacco, cotton, rice and
sugar cane plantations in the South,
and cattle ranches, dairies and stock
farms in the Middle West and West
where original ownership of land
has passed and original agricultural
activities are now changed. Some of
these could be acquired and reestab
lished to operate as formerly.
In other instances the ownership
has changed, but the original land
holdings have been held together
and still produce agricultural crops,
though not always the same as be
fore. Westover and Curies Neck
and Claremont on the lower James
are plantations of this type. Again,
there are a surprising number of
famous holdings which even today
are owned by the same families
which were in possession a hundred
or more years ago. Shirley, the
Carter estate on James river; Folly,
the Cochran plantation in Augusta
county; Walnut Grove, the McCor
mick farm in Rockbridge county;
and Berry Hill, the Bruce planta
tion near Halifax, all of which are
located in Virginia, meet this pat
tern. The same is true of the Middle
ton estate on the Cooper river, and
Hampton Hall, the Rutledge planta
tion on the Santee river, both in
South Carolina. In Louisiana, Rose
down, the Bowman family estate
and the Cottage, long-time resi
dence of the Butlers, should be
added. The list could be con
siderably enlarged. In other cases
such as Mount Vernon, Washing
ton's estate, Stratford, the Lee plan
tation, Monticello, the residence of
Jefferson, and the Hermitage, home
of Andrew Jackson, memorial asso
ciations operate these places as mu
seums, with major attention given
to the main dwellings. The na
tional park service operates Wake
field, the Washington house, and Ar
lington, the Lee residence, as well
as other well-known places.
in Keeping wnn me esiaonsn
ment of branch agricultural mu
seums in various parts of the United
States it would be appropriate to set
up a Jefferson Agricultural Memo
rial association which might oper
ate in connection with the Thomas
Jefferson Memorial foundation at
Monticello, Shadwell, Poplar Forest
or other places directly associated
with Jefferson. On one or more of
these original Jefferson plantations
two types of activities might be on
display. One would be to carry out
and reproduce the agricultural
experiments recorded by Jefferson
in his Garden Book and his Farm
Book, including his development and
trial of the moldboard plow. A sec
ond would be to relate these early
enterprises to the latest and most
advanced agricultural experiments
of the present day. Set up side by
side on the same plantation they
would provide striking contrast be
tween the early time and today and
would indicate the evolution of
agriculture In the United States.
Thomas Jefferson Was America's First 'Scientific Farmer’
Jefferson’s ideas with reference to
agriculture were far in advance of
his day. declared James E. Ward,
head of the division of social sci
ences at Clemson college in a talk
on “Monticello: An Experimental
Farm” at the meeting of the com
mittee at Monticello. He was among
the first to practice crop rotation.
He was a scientific farmer and in
arranging for his system of rotation
te divided bis cultivated lands into
* our farms of 280 acres each, and
| each farm into seven fields or 4i)
j acres. The boundaries were marked
by rows of peach trees. The seven
fields indicated that his system of
rotation of crops embraced seven
years. He reduced corn to one year
I in seven and tobacco seems to have
| been eliminated entirely. He al
j ways stressed the maxim that
where the soil is left bare the sun
■ “absorbs the nutritious juices of
the earth.” Consequently, in his
rotation system, he did not desig
nate any land to be tallow, but
rather cultivated certain plants, es
pecially legumes, because he ac
cepted the idea that such plants
would absorb fertility from the at
mosphere and store it in the soil.
Another observation can be verified
by a study of this rotation systerp.
The crops planted on the various
fields provided a continuity of em
ployment for both the labor force
and the work stock and thereby
avoided excessive peak demands.
i
By VIRGINIA VALE
Released by Western Newspaper Union.
SAYS Teresa Wright, ‘‘I was
bewildered and lonesome
when I first came to Holly
wood, but I had a job to do,
and did the best I could.” A
swell job it was, too, and now
she’s doing another one; mak
ing a screen comeback. After 18
months absence from pictures, due
to illness, she is currently appearing
with Gary Cooper in International
Pictures' “Casanova Brown," and
will be starred in two other pictures
before very long. After making a
hit in two Broadway successes—and
refusing a Hollywood contract be
TERESA WRIGHT
cause she felt she wasn't ready for
It—she made four outstanding pic
tures, won an "Oscar" for her work
in "Mrs. Miniver,” and was starred
in her fourth one.
• 2 - i . _- • t:
-■»
At Paramount they claim that
Lucy Tarr is the homeliest girl in
Hollywood, ani Lucy doesn't care.
She’s been signed for the role of a
hillbilly in “Murder, He Says,” star
ring Fred MacMurray. ’Tve got a
Job out of my looks," she boasts.
-*
Ted Donaldson, ten-year-old now
completing the role of “Nealy” in
20th Century-Fox’s "A Tree Grows
In Brooklyn,” is to get his first star
ring role in Columbia Pictures’
“Rusty.” It’s a new sort of boy and
a dog story, telling of the reforma
tion of a vicious Nazi-trained dog
by a boy. Young Donaldson scored
a personal triumph in “Once Upon a
Time,” with Cary Grant and Janet
Blair.
Some of our top radio commenta
tors will be seen by the general pub
lic for the first time in Ralph Staub's
Screen Snapshots subject, “Show
Business at War”; he’s signed up
30 of the leaders, including Louis P.
Lochner and Raymond Gram Swing.
Bob Waterfleld, UCLA football
star recently given his honorable
discharge from the marine corps,
has been signed by Warner Bros,
for an important role of a para
trooper in “Objective Burma,” star
ring Errol Flynn. Waterfleld may
make a career of motion pictures
instead of returning to the gridiron,
as previously announced.
\t>
Hedy Lamarr, George Brent and
Paul Lukas will be co-starred in
“Experiment Perilous,” Miss La
marr’s first appearance on the RKO
lot. And that’s quite an assignment
for the girl—remember, Lukas won
the Academy award for the best per
formance last year.
-*
One of the oldest and most popu
lar radio shows, the National Barn
Dance, soon entering its eleventh
year of continuous network broad
casting, has been engaged to appear
in person at two midwest state fairs
this summer. The entire cast will
put on their traditional show at the
Wisconsin state fair in Milwaukee
on August 26, and at the Indiana
state fair in Indianapolis on Sep
tember 2.
1 “
NEC has a fine new series replac
ing “American Story.” Twelve
dramatizations, called "They Call
Me Joe," tell the story of the con
tributions to America made by the
various national and racial groups
represented among our servicemen.
Through the cooperation of the war
department, the programs will also
be heard by service men and women
overseas.
The war department's morale
service division, ASF, through the
cooperation of CBS, will broadcast
the science and geography pro
grams of CBS’ 'The American
School of the Air’’ to millions of
service men and women stationed
all over the world, starting October
9 Programs will be heard on battle
fronts, troop transports, hospital
ships, submarines ">nd in genera]
hospitals in the U S.
ODDS AND ENDS—Betty Button
began campaigning I or that Texas
GuintJi role three years ago, when she
was first signed hy Paramount. . . . The
Ijes Trcmaynes hold weekly swing con
claves at their San Fernando Valley
ranch. . . . Inspired by the success ol
“Abie’s Irish Ross’,” Inne Nichols is
preparing a sequel to it—thinks maybe
it will be called “Abie’s Irish Off
spring.” . . . Twelve l( <’lsh folk songs
will be used in Bette Davis’ ”The Corn
Is Green”—they’ll be. sung by choral
groups varying in size from 30 to 80
I voices. j
Red Mites Invading
Many Prize Orchards
Proper Spraying Will
Aid in Control Work
F'ruit orchards are being attacked
by an invader ns deadly as any
killer insect that ever flew or
crawled. The common name for the
pest in the east is the red mite.
The great danger in the case ol
red mite is that because it is a new
comer to many sections, the great
majority of growers do not recog
nize it when evidences of its pres
ence appear on their trees State
entomologists have many instances
in their records where the grower
was utterly dumfounded when In
formed his trees W'ere being at
tacked by red mites
This is probably true because
damage is not immediately appar
ent. Since the red mite attacks the
fruit itself, first indications of the
damage appear on the leaves,
which turn brown. By midsummer,
the infestation has built up to the
point where the whole tree has a
bronze-like appearance. Once
brown, the leaves, which are very
Fruit trees must be protected si
never before. The red mites prom
ise to do considerable damage In
fruit orchards unless constant watch
is kept and power spraying resorted
to as needed.
essential in growing a healthy fruit
crop, remain that way for the re
mainder of the season, resulting ir
undersized, poor quality fruit.
The red mite is present in the
egg stage during the winter,
hatching about the time growth
starts. There are several genera
tions during the summer, popula
tions per leaf usually running from
50 to 100 mites, although they have
been observed as high as 500 per
leaf. The grower, who, upon exami
nation, finds only a few mites on
his foliage, should not feci secure,
for the red mite has truly amazing
reproductive powers. Even thougn
only two mites are present, they
may be responsible for an increase
into the many thousands in as little
as 78 hours.
There are offective, tested con
trols for red mite. Here is what
Ray Hutson, well-known state en
tomologist, has to say on the sub
ject:
“Meeting the red mite problem in
the apple orchard is a proposition
of picking out things that will dc
the most good, for various con
ditions have a tendency toward
working against one another. Cer
tain varieties (e. g. Delicious and
Baldwin) are more susceptible. A 2
per cent dormant «il kills all red
mite eggs that are hit. Two appli
cations a week apart of a 1 per cent
summer oil and foliage application!
are effective.
Potato Digging Machine
Proves Very Successful
A labor saving attachment thal
can be adapted to any power take
off potato digger has been de
veloped by the rural engineering de
partment at the Montana agricul
tural experiment station.
With the attachment the potatoes
are dug, rocks and clods sorted out,
and the tubers sacked and set oil
on the ground while the machine it
in continual operation. After fleic
tests, F. M. Harrington, head of the
horticultural department at the sta
tion, estimates that the picking
machine with a five-man crew
does as much work as an 11-mar
crew picking by hand.
The station’s potato digger was
altered to raise the elevator apror
and deliver the tubers onto a sort
tng conveyor instead of dropping
them on the ground. As the potatoes
travel along the conveyor, clods
and rocks are removed.
Potatoes in Feed
Potato drying plants that hav<
been handling low-grade potatoes
purchased by the government foi
the past several months are still ii
operation, another government re
port says. Some of these dried po
tatoes are being used in livestocl
feeds, according to W. T. Grams o:
the New York State Agricultural Ad
justment administration office. Ai
they contain about 8 per cent pro
tein, little fiber, and much carbohy
drate, they have real feed value.
k_
5735
—/Wl /T- . _
“Pineapple” Doily
IT’S a beauty—all the collectors
* of “pineapple” designs will
want to add it to their collections!
Seven beautifully designed motifs
are separated by small flower
clusters. Doily measures about 11
inches and will make a lovely cen
terpiece. Make it as a gift.
• ♦ •
To obtain complete crocheting Instruc
tions for the Pineapple and Flower Cluster
Doily (Pattern No. 5735) send 15 cents In
coin, plus 1 cent postage, your name, ad
dress and the pattern number.
In hot weather store the bread,
well wrapped, in the refrigerator.
• • •
In washing a sweater, sew the
buttonholes together before put
ting it into the water.
* • •
Use a card table beside your
ironing board to hold the freshly
ironed clothes until ready to put
them away.
• • •
A drop or two of sweet oil on the
cogs of the food chopper or egg
beater once in a while will keep
them in good condition.
• * •
When an iron sticks, sprinkle
some salt on a newspaper and rub
the iron over it.
• • •
To keep greens from packing in
jars, cut through two or three
times with a sharp knife.
* * *
For something delicious, try a
generous layer of applesauce be
tween two slices of hot French
toast. Sprinkle with cinnamon and
serve hot.
■I I > ■ —.mm mm
5737
Gay Little Son Salt
A BRIEF sun-suit or tiny dress
is made twice as gay by
means of a bright cherry spray ap
plique. The matching open air
bonnet is made perfectly flat and
tiien buttoned together to form a
hat. Whole set takes but litOe ma
terial and is a summer joy for any
youngster. Pattern includes sizes
2, 3 and 4 years.
• • •
To obtain complete applique pattern and
cutting pattern for sun-sutt, dress and bon
net for the Cherry Sun Butt (Pattern No.
5737) send M cents In coin, your ndaao.
address and the pattern nulnber.
Due to an unusually large demand and
current war conditions, slightly more One
ts required in ft fling orders for a few of the
most popular pattern numbers.
Send your order to:
SEWING CIRCLE NEEDLEWORK
530 South Wells st. Chleaga.
Enclose 15 cents (plus one ^nt to
cover tost ot mailing) (or Pattens.
No_
Name_
Sdrtrg«» -
World in Texas
There are 265,896 square miles
in Texas. The population of the
world is estimated to be about
2,000,000,000. If all were in Texas,
each person would have about
.0001 square miles of room.
There are 27,878,400 square feet
in a square mile, which would per
mit about 2,787 square feet per per
son. That approximates the dens
ity of population of such a city aa
Akron, Ohio.
i
1
a a a a . a i a . a a a .
xxxxwxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxi
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I
i In the war-time kitchen, where economy rules,
.where waste must be avoided and where
1 quality counts as never before, Clabber Girl
leads the list of dependable baking ingre
dients ... Atk Mother, She Know*: Gab
! ber Girl has been the choice of millions of
proud bakers, in millions of homes* for
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