McHenry County Extension Records

Images of the Coteau

This document details research done at the North Dakota State University Archives. The records used are Cooperative Extension Annual Reports from McHenry County, North Dakota. The aim of the research is to identify photographs in the report illustrating vital aspects of life in the Missouri Coteau region and to record information explicating the images. Links in the table below call up images of interest that have been scanned from the manuscript reports.

Most images, including all photographic images, are scanned at 600 dpi and saved as TIFs. Certain other images, mainly textual things, are scanned at 300 dpi and saved as PDFs. TIFs have been saved also as JPGs for reference and web use.

Thanks to NDSU Archives for making these records available for research.

1921	First report in the collection. The initial agent, M.C. Thomas, has a fairly pugnacious attitude. Nothing has been done by the county agent up to the present time with farm bureau organization. . . . Because of the ignorance or misunderstanding on the part of the farmers as to the position of the North Dakota Farm Bureau politically there has not been any demand on the part of the farmers for this organization. . . . We have in the county several local organization that might be used as a basis for the county organization. The Grange is strong in the south part of the county. Then in the north part of the county we have several Community Clubs. At Granville we have a Potatoe and Cream Marketing Association, a prospective Cow Testing Association and Community Club. At Drake we have a prospective Potatoe Marketing and Growers Association. At Velva a similar prospective organization, and similar organizations in an unorganized state at Bantry and Upham. The agent arrived in the county the last week of May 1921, the first extension agent in the county.
1922	There are continuing problems with attempts to form partnerships for extension with existing organizations. The agent has been trying to work with such organizations as the Grange. To some small extent this has been successful, but not generally so. As the organizations are made up of people who are for or against the work. And with such dissention in the organization we can get nowheres. Politics also has been a drawback to a successful getting together of the people in most of the communities, under the leadership of the more progressive farmers.
1922-23	This year the agent is more positive in tone and does a more complete report, with photographs. On Sunday morning, September 16^th, 135 farmers and businessmen and 50 tin Lizzies left McHenry County for a tour of the New Salem Dairy Circuit. . . . The Granville Community Band accompanied the delegation and rendered selections at all towns along the route. Steps were made at Simcoe, Velva, Ruso, Turtle Lake, Wilton, Bismarck and Mandan. The delegation left Granville at 7:15 A.M. Sunday morning September 16gth, and arrived at New Salem, a distance of about 160 miles at 4:30 P.M. The tour visited the farm of John Christiansen, president of the New Salem Breeding Circuit. IN the evening a meeting was held in the movie theater, 200 people in attendance. There were talks on “diversification” from a variety of parties: Christiansen, a G.N.R.R. Agricultural Development Agent, the State Dairy Commissioner, bankers, the county agent, and others. The guests in town lodged with hosts in the community. On Monday evening, September 17^th, we awakened from our slumbers to the steady down-pour of rain on the roof, which kept us all Monday. So, they went visiting two local farmers. At both places the farmers of the McHenry County delegation saw what COWS had done for a barren land. And all came home enthused with a drive to get busy along diversification lines, organize breeding circuits, cow testing associations, and raise more hogs, so that the future prosperity of McHenry County would be assured. The trip home to McHenry County was made in the rain and mud, but all agreed it was worth the price.
	Photo on p. 15, McHenry County Delegation on Tour of New Salem Dairy Circuit, Sunday & Monday, Sept. 16^th-17^th, Ten Minutes for Lunch and JAZZ by the Granville Community Band, Turtle Lake, N. Dak.
	The agent has been encouraging raising of sweet clover for hay and seed. He describes the haymaking method used by a farmer near Drake: This hay was raked up the next day after cutting, and placed in cocks to cure, remaining in these cocks for ten days before being stacked. When stacked the clover was nice and green and thoroughly wilted, very little of the leaves being lost.
	Photo on p. 31, Sweet Clover Hay being stacked on the Farm of Henry Frandsen, Drake, by Means of Bucking Pole and Stacker First Cutting Estimated at ½ Ton per Acre
	The Southern McHenry County Fair was in Velva, 11-13 October. The attendance was small due to rain, perhaps 600, but there were excellent exhibits, including five community booths.
	Photo on p. 60, “THE USE OF MILK IN THE HOME” Booth of the Drake Homemakers Club at the Southern McHenry County Fair, Velva, N. Dak., October 11^th, 12^th & 13th
	Map after p. 63, Showing Location of Demonstrations Carried on in 1923 [coded with symbols for various activities]
Gap in years – no reports.
1933	Work was resumed in the county by an Emergency Agricultural Assistant, Elmer C. Erickson. The work is concerned almost solely with implementation of the new farm program.
1946-47	The section on “Weed Control” shows new emphasis on chemical controls. Good progress on weed control work was made this year. The County Commissioners approved the purchase of Sodium Chlorate to resell to farmers early in the year and four thousand pounds were obtained [and another 4000 later]. A weed spraying boom was obtained for the county spraying outfit through the extension service. . . . Leafy surge patches were sprayed for R.S. Gorman, John Eaton and Axel Kongslie. At Gormans, the patches were sprayed two times to see if a kill could be obtained. Good top kill was obtained on the spurge, but root kill will need to be determined this spring. A 2,4-D esther was used on these weeds, as well as on creeping jenny. Creeping jenny spraying demonstrations were carried out on nineteen farms. . . . The farmers reported good top kill on the jenny, but again root kill will need to be determined next spring. A patch of spurge near Towner was the subject of a cooperative test, Sodium Chlorate v. 2,4-D.
	Photo on p. 28, The County Spray Truck with 24 ft. boom in operation
	The “Forrestry” section of the report details establishment of seven Northern Great Plains Station shelterbelt plantings, planted by the SCS. This comprised about 10,000 trees.
	Photo on p. 29, SCS tree planter in operation
	The “Farm Sewer and Water Systems” section deals with septic tanks. There were five informational meetings and also demonstrations on the farm of Kenneth Fen,seth. Portable forms were built by the Towner FFA, Velva FFA, Drake Lumber Yard, Emil Sitz, Drake and Bjorne Skar, Upham. . . . In a survey conducted by contacting farmers in communities, forty farms were reported as putting in septic tanks.
	Photo on p. 30, J.C. Russell [extension specialist] explaining the installation and use of portable septic tank forms to a group of farmers at Towner
1947-48	“Seven Demonstration Gardens Grown” Demonstration gardens are projects of 4-H and homemakers’ clubs. The reference to them in the narrative portion of the report refers to a summary of questionnaires in the back. According to this, an average of 40 people viewed each garden, which produced an average value of $100 in vegetables. All participants aid the garden was enough to supply a family of five. The participants rated the various vegetable varieties they were supplied, most of them rating good, and said they also would like to have rutabagas, cauliflower, turnips, and muskmelons in future.
	Photo on p. 15, Zora, Von and Doris Folden picking beans in demonstration garden
1948-49	“4-H Clubs” Among the many activities reported is this item. Softball was brought into the program this year and ten teams took part in tournaments held at Bantry and Balfour along with 4-H picnics. The final game between Karlsruhe Livestock and Bantry Beavers was played at Towner with the Beavers coming out as county champions.
	Photo on p. 4, Bantry Beavers – County Softball Champions
	200 farmers attended a haying demonstration at the Charles Gilmore farm. This involved three balers, three side delivery rakes, three mowers, and one bale loader one a 5-acre field of alfalfa. International, John Deere, and Allis Chalmer dealers supplied machinery. The district extension supervisor gave a talk on quality hay.
	Photo on p. 11, Haying Demonstration at Charles Gilmore’s
1949-50	Photo on p. 12, Anyone that believes we have our soil blowing problems solved need only to look at this picture taken this fall on highway #2 about 1 mile south of Towner.
	Photo on p. 26, This picture of a hay stack mover being used by Raymond Thoreson is a sample of the pictures used by papers.
1950-51	“Grass Silage” Seventy-five farmers attended the grass silage demonstration held at Walter Boye’s farm near Gardena on July 20. Boye was filling his trench silage and the visitors led an opportunity to see his method of handling the silage. Aaron Torr of Bantry, at my request, brought over a pail of his alfalfa silage that had been in the silo about 2 weeks. It had started to cure and had a good silage odor. . . . Most of the men seemed to believe that grass or legume silage could be put in a silo without much wilting and without a preservative. They also seem to believe that it is a good way of putting up feed so as to retain the food value of the feed. The cost of the chopper seemed to be what is preventing many of the men from going to the method of putting up feed.
	Photo on p. 40, Aaron Torr, Bantry, Making Alfalfa Silage
	“Radio Programs” An effort has been made to improve the radio programs prepared in the county. The wire recorder has been taken out to farms and 4-H meetings in order that the information will be practical and county folks can be heard. The picture below shows Mr. & Mrs. Milton Trana of Granville talking on gardening and trees.
	Photo on p. 53, [photo of Mr. & Mrs. Trana referred to above]

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