Palouse Farmers 'Show Up' Poorly for Scientific Farming
Agricultural experts visited Colfax to teach modern crop rotation and pest control, but found only empty benches and apathetic crowds.
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The farmers' institute held at Colfax last Friday and Saturday was a failure as far as attendance was concerned. At no time were more than 40 hearts in the room. But to those present, the lectures by specialists on topics affecting their interests were highly instructive. The institute was held on short notice and was insufficiently advertised, which explains some of the apathy. Experts like A.B. Leckenby of the U.S. Department of Agriculture spoke on restoring range grasses, and Professor Doane provided detailed methods for combating the codlin moth, a pest that has been ravaging apple orchards in the Palouse for five years. He recommended scraping bark from trunks and using gunny sack bands to trap larvae, as well as specific chemical sprays. Hon. C.L. Smith of Minnesota gave a stirring talk on how Minnesota farmers transitioned from single-crop wheat farming to diversified dairying, arguing that wheat alone is an invitation to failure.
“The codlin moth an orchardist must fight continuously.”
The tension between 'college theories' and practical, hard-won experience remains a recurring theme in modern agricultural discourse in Eastern Washington. The shift from monocrop wheat toward diversification is a conversation that has echoed through the Palouse for over a century.
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