856 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



November 1, 1905, the two months of operation, 110,000 bushels of grain. 

 St. Ansgar, which is also a new society, organized within the last few 

 weeks, has a capital stock of $15,000 but this society will handle live 

 stock. 



The cost of handling the business is small. Rockwell did $624,000 

 of business in 1901 at an expense of % of 1 per cent, or at a cost of 

 about $4,000. It cost Gowrie to do $365,000 the same year $2,500. 

 Another society with a $80,000 business did it at an expense of $1,80U. 

 It will be seen that the larger the volume of business the less the cost 

 to operate. 



These samples given only indicate what the other societies of the 

 state are doing. All are practically doing the same kind of business 

 and at the same rate of cost per the amount of stock invested. No 

 society is allowed to organize with less than $2,000 worth cf paid up 

 stock. The officers of the state organization are: 



President — N. Densmore, Mason City. 



Vice president — Perry Algers, Ruthven. 



Vice president — S. Nordschow, Badger. 



Secretary — C. G. Meserole, Gowrie. 



Treasurer — J. H. Brown, Rockwell. 



Directors — B. Hathaway, Pierson; John Montgomery, Goldfield; W. 

 D. Purdy, Fredericksburg; Arthur Chambers, Dumont; J. B. Hart, Post- 

 ville; Thomas McManus, Dougherty; D. Hodson, Garden City. 



Executive committee — B. Hathaway, J. B. Hart, W. D. Purdy. 



Claims committee — D. Cahalan, Rockwell; C. G. Meserole, Gowrie. 



Legislation committee — A. N. Smith, Gowrie; Thomas McManus, 

 Dougherty; T. L. Knight, Goldfield. 



Transportation committee — B. Hathaway, Pierson; F. Campbell, Rock- 

 well; D. McArthur, Mason City. 



Arbitration and investigation committee — Thomas McManus, Dough- 

 erty; A. N. Smith, Gowrie; C. H. Warbis, Riuard. 



Grades committee — F. Campbell, Rockwell; R. Baxter, Galva, Aaron 

 Peterson, Lanyon. 



TO WHAT EXTENT, IF ANY, SHOULD AGRICULTURE BE TAUGHT 

 IN THE COUNTRY SCHOOLS? 



JOHN DE KOSTER, HULL. LA., BEFORE SIOUX CITY COIXTY FARMERS' INSTITUTE. 



Looking through the handbook of Iowa Schools, which is the course 

 of study laid out for the public or rather country schools of Iowa, we 

 find that that course, as it now is, is quite heavy and that there is very 

 little room for additional work. It is an eight year course and very 

 few of our country pupils finish the course. Now the question is: Can 

 we add to the course, or, is there perhaps some branch in the course 

 less important than the subject of agriculture and that therefor we cut 

 that out and put agriculture in its place? Is there something in the 

 course now that is less practical than the subject of agriculture. 



