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116
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The classroom and field demonstration material was ready by May of 1956. For the next month we held classes in the morning and worked in the field in the afternoon. We used teams that were owned by the Experiment Station and farmers that lived close by. One of my problems in handling the teams for the demonstrations, was that I had to learn Turkish commands, the horses didn't understand my English. When we completed the training courses, each student was supplied with enough equipment to start his own projects.
My concern was that the students, who had taken the classes would have problems with the farmers, they had no farm experience, and to show the farmers the new methods of hitching their teams, might not be accepted. I had gone as far as I could, the Turks would have to take it from here.
Naki suggested to me that he had a friend who might be able to do the training necessary to include the farmers. In Bornova, a small village close to Izmir, there was a viticulture research station. The field foreman was a man by the name of Atif Atilla. He did not have a degree, and was shunned when promotions were made. Atif not only spoke English, he spoke farmer Turkish, had a farm of his own, and the farmers had confidence in him, and best of all he knew how to handle the teams and equipment. With some negotiations between the two experiment station directors, Atif was loaned to us for an indefinite period.
It was a pleasure to work with Atif, he taught me the language I needed to drive the teams, he knew how to hold a plow in the ground, put a harness on a horse, and he knew how to read the instructions on the surveyors' stakes.
For four and a half years, Atif, Naki and I covered the entire Ege Region where we set up equipment and held training courses. We made trips to Southern Turkey to the experiment station at Tarsus, we used small equipment to terrace the hills for new tree planting, as well as building new irrigation systems.
To get the equipment into the hands of the farmers seemed very slow to a pushy American, but Naki and Atif seemed to be pleased, and informed me often that we were getting along very well for Turkey. I did learn to relax a little and stop occasionally to drink coffee or chi (tea).
In September of 1956 Turkey hosted an irrigation seminar for 7 middle east countries. Iran, Egypt, India, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Greece. The small equipment for improving irrigation practices was the main attraction.
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Rights
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Metzger Memories
