NEWS -^ VIEWS \k 



Illinois Farmers Tour Europe 



English Folks Say Visifors Don'f Look Like Farmers. Think That 

 They Resemble Movie Stars. "A Lot of Clark Gables." 



THE 50 Illinois farm men and wom- 

 en who went on a six-week tour of 

 north western Europe created quite 

 a stir in the nation's press because 

 of the good impression they made 

 on the people of England. 



The tour was under the guidance of 

 Dr. D. E. Lindstrom of the University 

 of Illinois College of Agriculture and 

 was offered primarily for Illinois rural 

 chorus, music, drama, and folk arts 

 participants and their friends. 



The tour left Chicago the middle of 

 August and was scheduled for one 

 week in England, one week in Denmark, 

 and one week in Sweden. The Illinois 

 folks visited model and typical farms, 

 chatted with agricultural officials and 

 farmers, and attended and put on con- 

 certs, festivals, and folk dances. 



Here is what The Associated Press 

 story from Little Gaddesen, England, 

 said about the visit of the Illinois farm- 

 ers there: 



Fifty Illinois farmers here to study 

 English country life are drawing a 

 lot of study from the English. 



Their business suits and general 

 grooming don't fit the English idea of 

 straw-chewing, overalled hayseeds. They 

 have caused a bigger stir than a whole 

 brood of three-legged chicks. 



"I've never seen any farmers like 

 these," chuckled Steve Oakins, 70-year- 

 old retired village postmaster. "A lot 

 of Clark Gables, that's what they are." 



Margaret Somersby chimed in: "They 

 all look like film stars." 



"Sure, I guess we guys on the land 

 like our clothes to fit well," laughed 

 Fred Zimmerman, a sun-tanned, 200- 

 pound farmer from San Jose. 111. 



His outfit included a nylon shirt with 

 socks to match, a blue silk tie with red 

 squares and yellow ships sailing all 

 over it, a gold ring and a gold tiepin. 



The Americans, on a five-week tour 

 of Europe, pitched into an old-fashioned 

 farmers' feed in the lamplit school hall 

 — homemade sausage rolls, jam tarts, 

 tomato juice, beer and cider. 



Later, it was just like a county fair 

 back home. There were American 

 square dances and the British version, 

 called the Roger de Coverlev. Mrs. 

 Mary Milligan of Urbana, III., led a 

 song fest. 



Ralph Allen who farms 200 acres at 

 Delavan, 111., said. "Already we are 

 finding out your farming problems — 

 Shortage of labor, of food for your 

 workers and of land suitable for cultiva- 

 tion." 



"I have a 640-acre farm back home," 



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broke in Mrs. Laura Barbick, "and I 

 run it with four men. Over here I was 

 shown a farm of the same size which 

 took 13 men to run it, but I guess that 

 we are helped back home by having so 

 much machinery." 



Lightning rods protect buildings only 

 when the connections and ground wires are 

 in good order, say University of Illinois 

 agricultural engineers. 



Left: Patrltla Hoehn, Mason county, 

 gels her Ayrshire calf raady tor the 

 4-H conteifs of the llllnolt State fair, 

 Mght: A clown band Invades the lAA' 

 farm Bureau courtesy tent during the 

 Illinois Slate fair In SprlngHeU. 



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L A. A. RECORD 



