192 TRANSPORTATION 



derive considerable freight traffic from agricultural products and 

 from products sold to the farmer. The five chief methods now 

 employed by the railroads in aiding agricultural progress are these: 

 (1) Securing new settlers; (2) Agricultural education; (3) Marketing 

 cooperation; (4) Supply of farm labor; (5) Forestry and land- 

 scape gardening. 



(1) Securing New Settlers. Many railroads now have an 

 official called " immigration agent" whose duty it is to bring 

 settlers from the crowded sections of the United States to the 

 sparsely settled parts. A few decades ago settlers were brought 

 largely from foreign countries. Thus the Santa Fe solicited 

 settlers from Germany in the seventies. In Barton County, 

 Kansas, along this line, there were 2 persons of foreign birth in 

 1870; in 1880 there were 2,216 foreigners here. Similarly in Marion 

 County, Kansas. Here the Russian Mennonites were brought in. 

 In 1880 there were 2 in Marion County; in 1890 there were 3,116. 

 A later illustration can be given for North Dakota. The Great 

 Northern railroad made a systematic attempt to bring in American 

 farmers, opening its campaign in the State of Indiana, and making 

 Cando, North Dakota, the objective point of settlement. On 

 March 21, 1893, a party of 300 men, women and children, in a 

 special passenger train, left Walkerton, Indiana, for Cando, 

 North Dakota. The household goods of these settlers came along 

 in a special freight train of forty cars. It is estimated that the 

 movement from the central states rapidly increased in the following 

 years, reaching 1800 the first year, and, after some ten years, 

 averaging 20,000 a year. 



(2) Agricultural Education. In this line of endeavor the rail- 

 roads are now generally cooperating with the State and Federal 

 governments. For instance, instruction trains are a good example 

 of this form of cooperation. A " Better Farming Special" is sent 

 out by one road, including cars and coaches equipped so as to 

 take the best ideas of the Agricultural College to the farmers. 

 Certain cars are equipped with live stock, heavy horses, beef and 

 dairy cattle, poultry, swine, and sheep, while other cars contain 

 illustrative and demonstrative material relating to seed improve- 

 ment, identification of weeds, drainage, alfalfa, silage, insects, 

 dairying, poultry raising, bacteriology, etc. This is merely a 

 sample of the work being done by many of the railroads. With 

 these trains go lecturers and demonstrators. The country folk 

 come in many miles to attend the lecture or demonstration. 

 Some " Better Farming Specials" devote their whole attention 



