In January of 1925, Bainer suggested to Jarrell that the SWIA would like to put on a better seed wheat campaign in the coming fall. Towards this end, his organization wanted the Santa Fe to haul the improved seed wheat at one-half the regular rate to make it economically feasible for every farmer to afford top grade seed wheat with which to plant the next crop. Better seed would mean better yields with better tonnage of the Santa Fe, to say nothing of the enormous publicity generated by such a campaign. However, R. C. Merrick, general freight agent, pointed out that legally the Santa Fe could not offer a reduced rate for such purposes.
Jarrell suggested an alternative for accomplishing nearly the same objective-run a special demonstration train promoting the use of better seed wheat. The agricultural colleges and state boards of agriculture in Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma would cooperate with the Santa Fe in a program designed to bring to the farmers' attention the importance of better seed, as well as better soil preparation. As before, the colleges would be responsible for furnishing the best speakers obtainable) at least three for each meeting), with the Santa Fe responsible for publicizing the meetings and any attendant advertising. In addition to a business car, Santa Fe would furnish an exhibit car, but both cars would be moved around on regular trains. The wheat region in Kansas could be covered in about three weeks.
Bainer thought the proposed plan excellent, except that with the current outlook for wheat it would be a good year to work the wheat situation to the limit. He felt that it would take a special train to get around the proposed territory in the short period between harvesting and planting. By April of that year Jarrell had met with the college professors, gaining their approval to run the train from the last week in July to the first of August. Each stop would consist of about sixty-five minutes of four talks, followed by an hour and a half of viewing for the exhibits. The train would be at each stop for two and one-half hours.
This train would require one day coach (for meetings in case of bad weather), one flat car with canopy top, one baggage car for exhibit material, one stripped coach outfitted for exhibits, and a business car. There would be ten KSAC staff members, with an additional three people if the Kansas Wheat Queen and her sponsors came along as had been suggested. The extension division would contribute $500 worth of publicity with an additional $200 for this purpose coming from the Kansas Crop Improvement Association; between $500 and $700 would come from SWTA for exhibit preparation. Urging support of the train, Jarrell wrote Chambers in Chicago that President F. D. Farrell of KSAC believed good seed would be more difficult to find this year because of the presence of the Hessian fly and the chinch bug - hence, drastic action was necessary before fall planting.(29)
The train came to be called "The Opportunity Special" signifying to farmers that this was a special opportunity to improve the quality and yield of their wheat crop. It ran from mid-July to the beginning of August, making forty-three stops. Whatever doubts Santa Fe may have had about the wisdom of running the train were dispelled when it learned that the college faculty felt so strongly about the urgency of reaching farmers with the message of better seed wheat that they would even resort to using trucks if Santa Fe would not run the train. In addition, arrangements were made to use talks, and for the first time, a demonstration train of this sort was equipped with a public address system. Those in charge envisioned broadcasting music and other entertainment as the train pulled into a town.
A very special feature of this train was the presence of the Kansas Wheat Queen, Miss Vada Watson, Railroad and college alike were quick to sense the promotional possibilities of such a personality in attracting a large crowd at each stop. The possibilities of the young lady actually driving the locomotive as it pulled into each town was even discussed, although neither Jarrell nor his counterpart Sam Pickard at the agricultural college was sure that the railroad would allow this. They would not, it turned out. However, railroad officials did arrange for a picture of her, waving out of the engine cab window, to be used in publicity releases to the newspapers. Jarrell sent two pictures to Pickard for his use, noting that the one showing a good view of the engine was unfortunately not good of Miss Watson. There is no indication , which view was chosen for publicity purposes, though one suspects the one selected rather favored Miss Watson.
"The Opportunity Special" was billed as the last word in demonstration work, its purpose being to produce more and better wheat per acre. The relation of wheat to other crops and livestock was a primary lecture topic; diversification, soil preparation, crop rotation, pure seed, insect control, and treatment of plant diseases were other educational offerings. Previous experience suggested fewer but longer stops were needed to fully cover this many subjects satisfactorily. Two cars were given over to exhibits (one on the wheat plant disease known as smut and the other on the Hessian fly); space also was given to agricultural economics and agronomy. Additional exhibits featured the results of important experiments made recently at the State Experiment Station. Since the exhibits would be used at state fairs in the fall, the college was willing to spend $1,000 to put them together.
When asked for advice regarding what sort of remarks Jarrell might make at each stop, Chambers suggested that Jarrell's comments might include something along the following lines: "Santa Fe's interest is to increase production and better the quality along its line, in which both the farmers and the railroad are benefited; that the Santa Fe is always ready to do its part as it promotes distribution and better price." Furthermore, he had in mind that Jarrell would say in his "usual careful way something that will indirectly indicate that while we are always looking after business for our railroad, we are at the same time always ready to do our part in building up the communities along the lines."(30)
For the first time, a preliminary budget was drawn up: SWIA would contribute $700; the extension division of KSAC, $500 (evidently in addition to the $1,000 exhibit money promised in anticpation of state fairs); the Kansas Crop Improvement Association, $200. Expenses such as advanced publicity and circulars, pamphlets for distribution on the train, advertising service, and general operating expenses borne by the Santa Fe.
Towns along the route anticipated the train's visit with great sprit. A gentleman from the Garden City Chamber of Commerce inquired of Jarrell if the train would be stopping overnight there, for if so, "we might open a keg o nails."(31) To this Jarrell responded "what I want the Garden City Chamber of Commerce to do in addition to furnishing `nails' is to round up about 1,000 farmers for the meeting."(32) The Abilene Commercial Club arranged with the telephone people for rural calls, promoting the event at the proper time.
In late June, Jarrell enlisted the assistance of local chambers of commerce in arranging for a local farmer in each town to donate about ten bushels of wheat to be used in demonstrating the seed- treating machine. The farmer was then to plant the treated seed separately in order to compare it with untreated seed when both sprouted. This was but one piece of the extension department's advance work in the towns. Pickard reported to Jarrell that "in our wake we are leaving a trail of publicity with towns planning the biggest agricultural events in their history."(33)
Meanwhile, the railroad's general freight and passenger agents increased their support for the special train, responding favorably to Jarrell's request to place division officers on board the train while it was running over their division. In retrospect, Jarrell felt that this contributed much to the importance of the enterprise. The Topeka shops continued to do their part in outfitting the cars. TO H. H. Stephens, superintendent of shops, Jarrell wrote, "I want you to know I appreciate the cooperation I have had from your department. If you ever run for office, I will vote for you in all the states in which I travel."(34) Jarrell was equally complimentary about the work of the electrician A. E. Voight, declaring him to be "all wool and a yard wide" when it came to doing what was needed with dispatch."(35)
A week into the tour, Jarrell enthusiastically reported to Chambers that the attendance at the first twenty-one meetings of this "farm college on wheels" totaled about fifty thousand"(36) At the end of the tour, total attendance had swelled to 117,000-a figure the Santa Fe would equal but never surpass. In Jarrell's words it was
by far the largest audience that ever assembled for any railroad's demonstration trains in the Southwest. The crowds wee so large that it was impossible to put all the people through the exhibit cars. Miss Vada Watson, the Kansas Wheat Girl, spoke at every one of the forty-four stops, and her cooperation did more to bring the farmers and their families to the meetings that any other feature. Though her we were able to get up contests for county wheat girl in most of the counties visited in the train. I think we had twice as many farmers at our meetings as we ever had before."(37)
Bainer felt that the train reached one-third of Kansas' wheat growers as it traveled through not quite one-third of the state's counties. Further, many more were reached by means of the coverage in the large dailies and county newspapers. The loudspeakers were a notable success: speeches could be heard as much as two blocks away. Extension plant pathologist, D. R. Porter, reported that "every mail has been full of inquires regarding wheat seed treatment, even from localities which the train did not visit."(38) Chambers was especially positive in his feedback to Jarrel, feeling that this train had done more good in every way to promote friendly relations and cooperation with the farming and commercial interests than any other work that could be done at the time.
Not every Santa Fe official was pleased with the operation, as evidenced by the comment of one in an article about the upcoming train in a New York times edition dated June 23, 1925: "considering that the Santa Fe finances the trip, there is but little glory in this." Annoyed by this, Jarrell was further irritated when another Santa Fe official commented that the Santa Fe should get more advertising out of this project. Jarrell hastened to put the comments in perspective to Chambers, reminding him that not only did this story appear a month before the train ran but also that the train in question was not run as an advertising enterprise. Rather it was a solution to be original request to ship premium seed wheat at half the regular rate, thereby saving the Santa Fe from a rate controversy. In fact, it generated a considerable amount of friendly publicity as it brought better farming methods to the attention of farmers throughout the state. As reported in a July 1925 issue of the Kansas City Times, growers, "unable to control prices they receive, were eager to hear the gospel of better grain and more to the acre" from those on board the `school on wheels."(39)
The Barber County Index of July 23, 1925, used superlatives in describing the train as far surpassing "anything ever attempted in the whole world in this line. It is a complete state fair and a college course concerning wheat culture, all rolled into one, and offers an opportunity that does not come very often." Great Bend featured a big "Opportunity Carnival" the day of the train's visit. Abilene declared a holiday, closing the stores "while 2,500 stood in the rain to hear Vada Watson and other wheat experts." Evidently the presence of Miss Watson more that compensated for the rainy weather. Hutchinson held a gala all-day picnic around the train's visit.(40)
In other towns, such as Sublette and Finney, newspapers reported that it looked as if the entire county had turned up at the station. T. B. Honea, a Santa Fe conductor on the special, also had been a conductor on the train which carried the late President Harding on his western trip; he though the crowds were bigger than were for the Harding Special. At Garden City over six thousand attended "Wheat Festival Day" held in conjunction with the train's visit. To celebrate the "Opportunity Special," Pratt conjured up an elaborate scheme which featured a contest to determine which of the town's twenty-four red-haired girls' hair most closly matched the plumage of the town's Rhode Island Red rooster. The prize, won by Mrs. Edna Nichols of Cunningham, was a ten dollar gold piece and the rooster! Additionally, the Pratt Tribune devoted its entire front page to the train.(41)
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