Nehru Visits 

 Illinois Farms 



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Indian Prime Minister is Greatly 

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A LEADER greatly interested in farming and farm people. 

 That's how three Kendall County Farm Bureau members 

 described Jawaharlal Nehru, prime minister of India, after 

 he recently made an inspection tour of their farms. 



Accompanying Nehru were his sister, Mme. Vijaya 

 Pandit, ambassador to the United States, and his daughter, Mrs. 

 Indira Gandhi. The trip took them along the Fox River valley 

 near Yorkville and Oswego to the farms of Albert Mighell, Wil- 

 liam Smith and Glen Peterson. 



The ruler of 330 million Indians made the tour to view mod- 

 ern farming practices that might help Hindu farmers grow 

 enough food for the people in a land that often knows famine. 



A comparison of farming methods here and in India also was 

 a topic of discussion between the prime minister and his Kendall 

 county farm hosts. 



On seeing the Hereford yearlings in the Mighell barn lot, the 

 Indian premier said: "If an Indian farmer fed one steer the 

 produce of his farm, he would have nothing left at the end of the 

 year for his family to eat except the beef from the steer." 



Other comments on differences in the farm life of the two 

 regions pointed out by Nehru were: 



"Much corn is raised in India, but most of it is eaten by the 

 people. They are vegetarians not only because of religious be- 

 liefs, but also because the land will not support both livestock and 

 the huge population. 



"Corn in India is short and the kernels are more like blisters 

 than the kernels on Illinois corn. 



"The average farm in India contains only one or two acres. 



"Manure is used as fuel, so it can't be applied back to the 

 land." 



Mme. Pandit showed another difiFerence in corn production 

 when she said that most of the work of planting, cultivating and 

 husking is still done by hand in India. Corn yield is much higher 

 here than there, she declared. 



The com supply is low in India, Mme. Pandit stated, because 

 the stale of Pakistan, biggest corn growing area, is now separated 

 from India. 



Some of the things about Illinois farm life that impressed 

 Nehru were the surplus grain storage, the number of acres in a 

 farm and the amount of livestock and food that one farm pro- 

 duced. 



He said India had a great need for farm machinery but farm- 

 ers couldn't afford it. Improved . varieties and hybrids in grain 

 would greatly benefit Indian food production, according to Nehru. 

 He stated he thought introduction of artificial insemination would 

 help in some areas of his country. 



He was surprised that farmers lived right on their farms in- 

 stead of in town. The activities of 4-H clubs and FFA groups 

 drew favorable comment from the Indian leader. 



Nehru was impressed with the school bus that picked up the 

 farm children and took them to school. Methods of controlling 

 the corn borer also drew his careful attention. 



During the tour, farmers from neighboring areas joined the 

 group showing the Hindu leader around the three farms. They 

 noted his keen interest in modem farm machinery. 



(Continued on page 23) 



Kendall Covnfy Farm Bureau member W. A. Smith has the pleas- 

 ure of a visit to his farm by Jawaharlal Nehru, fhe prime 

 minister of India, during his visit fe Ihe Midwest In latm October. 

 Woman In center Is Mrt. Ole frickson. 



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The prime minltter of India, his sister and daughter pose in on 

 Informal family group with the Albert MIgheli family during visit 

 to Kendall county. Bade, left to right: Nehru, Mrt. Mighell, Mrt. 

 Vijaya Pandit, Nehru's sitter; Mr. Mighell. front: Ada Mighell, 

 Mrt. Indira Gandhi, Nehru's daughter; Ellen Mighell, and Albert 



Mighell. 



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A Kendall county form boy, Keith Peterson, shows the prime min- 

 ister of India part of an ear of Illinois corn which the prime 

 minltter admired for Its large kernels. At the boy's left Is Mme. 

 Pandit, Prime Minister Nehru's titter and ambassador to the 

 U.S. from India. 



Sub Times Photo 



DECEMBER, 1949 



