FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 17 



presented to him for consideration is against his interest and he opnoses 

 it on general principles; thus making the farmer the most suspicious 

 class in existence, • 



If farmers would send in their contracts voluntarily by mail, if they 

 would raise the beets without assistance from the factory in any way, 

 if they would cooperate with the factory in reducing expenses all along 

 the line, more could be paid for beets. It is entirely wrong for the factory 

 to be obliged to hire men to solicit acreage from the farmer, for he vir- 

 tually pays the bill, just as the expenses and salaries of binder men are 

 paid by the one who purchases a machine. 



It is usual for the farmer to receive pay for the products of his farm 

 before or at the time they leave his possession. It is the lack of confi- 

 dence, which is a result of ignorance of business methods, that gives 

 employment to the grain buyers, all of whom are supported by the farmer. 

 The average farmer does not realize the amount of money he is paying 

 indirectly. I have often been asked this question : "Why should we 

 pay freight on beets? ^Ve don't on anything else." The freight as well 

 as all other expenses are paid by the farmer. These apparent diflSculties 

 in handling beets can be easily overcome by education just as they have 

 in handling milk in the creamery. The milk leaves the farm and is hauled 

 or shipped to the creamery, inspected, tested and paid for the same as 

 beets, and little fault is found. If the farmer wished it inspected, 

 weighed, tested and paid for at his farm, he surely would not get as 

 much for his milk. The farmer should be more anxious than the fac- 

 tory to bring the cost down to the minimum, for then will he <f;et the 

 highest price for beets. 



Absolute confidence should exist between the factory and the farmer. 

 Every farmer should be honest and just in his dealings with the factory, 

 and any factory that would take advantage of a farmer in any way 

 does not deserve to have a beet grown for it. But neither should con- 

 demn the other without proving beyond a question of doubt that all is 

 not right, for let me say to you that it is the easiest thing in the world 

 to be mistaken. I have known of eight tons of dirt being left in a car 

 after taking out its first load of beets. It is not necessary for the farmer 

 to weigh such a car to know that the factory weight is less than the 

 actual amount put into the car. Several sample baskets full of beets 

 taken from a car will vary in test and tare, but the average should be 

 the average of the car. A sample from a wagon load may not fairly 

 represent the load, but the averas-e of several loads should be the aver- 

 age of the field. 



The farmer is usually the victim of every new scheme or fraud that 

 is perpetrated upon the public and it is conceded by some that he is 

 usually an easy mark, at least he has been preyed upon until he does not 

 distingui?h between the kid glove stranger who ofl'ers something for 

 nothing, and the incorporated company that invests a million dollars 

 in a plant which is to build up an industry in his vicinity that will 

 •bring, not something for nothing, but something for his efforts; that a 

 one-million dollar plant is so much insurance that the farmer is going 

 to be fairly treated arid receive his just reward. 

 3 



