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 The 



Nehru Visits 

 Illinois Farms 



Indian Prime Minister is Greatly 

 Impressed by Our High Production 



AI.KADF-K greatly intercslcd in farming and farm ])eo|)lc. 

 riiat's how three Kendall (bounty Farm Bureau member- 

 descrihed Jawaharlal \ehru. j)rime minister of India, after 

 he reeently made an inspection tour of their farms. 



.■Vccompanying Nehru were his sister, Mme. Vijaya 

 I'andit. ambassador to the I nited States, and his daughter, Mr . 

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

 near ^ orkville and Oswego to the farms of Albert Mighell, \^il- 

 liam Smith and Glen Peterson. 



The ruler of .iM) million Indians made the tour to \ iew mod- 

 ern farming practices that might help Hindu farmers grow 

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



A comparison of farming methods here and in India also \xas 

 a topic of discussion between the prime minister and his Kenilall 

 county farm hosts. 



On seeing the Hereford M'ailiiiiis in the Mighell liarn I'li. tlic 

 Indian premier said: "'If an Indiati farmer fed one sle<'r the 

 produce of his farm, he would ha\e nothing left at the end of the 

 year for his family to eal except the heef from the^steer." 



Other comments on differences in the farm me of ilii> tuo 

 region* pointe<l out hy Nehru were: 



"'Much corn is raised in India, 

 people. They are vegetarians not 

 liefs. hut also because the land \\ill 

 the iiuge population. 



"'(!<>rn in India is short and the kernels are 

 lliaii llie kernels oti Illinois corn. 



"■[he average farm in India contains only one or two acre-. 



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

 land." 



Mme. Pandit showed another difference in corn production 

 ulien .she said that most of the work of planting, cultivating and 

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

 here than there, she declared. 



Ihe eorn supply is low in India. Mme. Pandit stated, becausi- 

 the <tah' of Pakistan, biggest corn growing area, is now separated 

 I rotn 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 livi'stock and food that one farm pro- 

 duced. 



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

 ers couldn't afford it. Improxed \arieties and hybrids in grain 

 would greatlv benefit Indian food [)roduction. according to Nehru. 

 He slated he thought introduction of artificial insemination wouhl 

 help in some areas of his country. 



He wa> surprised that farmi'rs lived right on their farms in- 

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

 drew fa\orable 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. Thev 

 noted his keen interest in modern farm machinery. 



(Continued on page 23) 



but most of it is eaten liv the 

 ord\ because of religious lie- 

 not support both li\estO(k and 



iiore like blisters 



Kendall County farm Bureau member W. A. Smith has the pleas- 

 ure of o visi» (*J his farm by Javfaharlal Nehru, the prime 

 minister of India, during his visit to the MIdvtest In late October. 

 Woman in center is Mrs. Ole Ericitson. 



The prime minister of India, his sister and daughter pose in an 

 informal family group with the Albert Mighell family during visit 

 to Kendall county. Back, left to right: Nehru, Mrs. Mighell, Mrs. 

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

 Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Nehru's daughter; [lien Mighell, and Albert 



Mighell. 



\ 



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

 ister of Ineiia port of on ear of Illinois corn which the prime 

 minister admired for its large Icernels. At Ihe boy's left Is Mme. 

 Pandit, Prime Minister Nehru's sister and ambassador to Ihe 

 U.S. from India. 



Sun Tim*t Photo 



DECEMBER, 1949 



