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The niinoi* Agricuhural Auociadon Record 



AugiMt 2, 1924 



CULTURAL. ASSOCMWiN 



"RECORPny- 



Published every other Saturday by the Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association, 608 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, 

 Illinois. Edited by Department of Information, H, C. 

 Butcher,' Director. 



Entere<I as second class matter Oct. 10. 1921, at the post 

 ofllce at Chicago, nUnoia, under the act of March 3, 1878. 

 Acceptance for mailing at special rates of postage pro- 

 Tided for In Section 1103. Act of October 3. 1917, author- 

 l*ed Oct. 31. Ifil, 



The individual membership fee of the Illinois Arglcnl- 

 turml Association Is Ave dollars a year. This fee Includes 

 paymenf of fifty cents for subscription to the Illinois Ag- 

 rlcultural Association Reco rd. 



OFFICEBS 

 President, S. H. Thompson, Quincy. 

 Vice-President, C. B. Watson, DeKalb. ; 



Treasurer, R. A. Cowles, Bloomington. I 



Secretary, Geo. A. Fox, Sycamore. ' 



EXECCTIVK COMMITTEE 

 By Congressional Districts 



11th Jacob Olbrlch, Harvard 



12th G. F. Tullock, Roekford 



13th C. E. Bamborough, Polo 



14«h W. H, Moody, Port Byron 



18th H. E. Goembel, Hooppole 



16th A. R. Wright, Varna 



17th F. D. Barton, Cornell 



18th R. F. Karr, Iroquois 



inh J. L. Whisnand, Charleston 



SOth Earl C. Smith, Detroit 



21*t Samuel Sorrells, Raymond 



22«d Stanley Castle, Alton 



23rd J. E. LIngenfelter, Lawrenceville 



24th Curt Anderson, Xenia 



25th Vernon Lessley, Sparta 



Directors of Departments 

 I. A. A. Office 



General Office and Assistant to Secretary, J, H. Kelker; 

 Organization, G. E. Metzger; Information, H. C, Butcher, 

 Transportation, L. J, Quasey, Statistics, J. C. Watson; 

 iFinance, R. A, Cowles; Fruit and Vegetable Marketing, 

 A. B, Leeper: Live Stock Marketing, Wm. E. Hedgcock; 

 Dairy Marketing, A. D. Lynch; Phosphate-Limestone, 

 J. R. Bent; In charge Poultry and Egg Marketing, F. A. 

 Gougler; special representative on Tuberculosis Eradi- 

 cation, M. H. Petersen; Legal Counsel, Donald Kirk- 

 patrick; Cooperative Accounting. Geo. R. Wicker. 



Our Grain Merger Stand 



The position of the Illinois Agricultural As.socia- 

 tion on the recently completed grain merger is one 

 of open-mindedness. , 



It has been neither indorsed nor condemned by 

 our association. When complete and definite in- 

 formation as to the ultimate channels of the grain 

 movement have been a.scertained, when past and 

 present earnings of each of the five merging com- 

 pianies have been determined, when legal questions 

 have been carefully scrutinized, and, probably most 

 fimdaraental of all, when the general marketing 

 policy of the I. A. A. is set in regard to control of 

 markets or control of product, then our officials will 

 be in a positioa to advise with weight as to the 

 merits of the merger. 



At the present time, considerable time and effort 

 is being expended in an endeavor to find the truth. 



It is realized that the merging with ultimate 

 farmer-control maj' be the greatest opportunity for 

 farmers of the present generation. But should the 

 attempt fail, cooperative marketing would likely 

 receive a set-baok for a generation. When one cor- 

 poration buys another, months and sometimes years 

 are consumed in reaching a definite and clear basis 

 by which the seller and buyer may dicker. 



There are so many angles" that should be con- 

 sidered that the men investigating the merger and 

 its value to our members have a gigantic task 

 — and an important one. 



Business-Like Methods Increase Collections 



Jlembership dues have rolled in much faster so 

 far in 1924 than in 1923. 



Many of the counties which experienced greatest 

 difficulties with collections la.st year are turning in 

 the highest percentage of collections this year. 



We wondered why, so we went to the finance de- 

 partment to find out. 



The answer is given in this short statement : 

 "Those counties which ex|)erienced difficulty in 

 collecting dues last year and have come to the front 

 this year discovered that it is as necessary to apply 

 busine.ss-like methods in collecting dues as it is for 

 the United States government to apply business-like 

 methods in the collection of taxes." 



Business-like methods are essential to farm bu- 

 reau success. We need it in all branches — commu- 

 nity, county, state and national. Some have it : 

 others are getting it and still others are in dire need 

 of it, but do not realize their predicament. 



Five years ago Sunday schools were universally 

 regarded as unbusines^-like and sloppy in keeping 

 accounts, in keeping contact with their membership 

 and in receiving contributions for the church. To- 

 day successful Sunday schools are highly organized 

 with business-like methods supplementing and pro- 

 gressing arm-in-arm with the Golden Text. 



In a detailed analysis of the 1924 status of col- 

 lections of farm bureau dues, L. A. Evans, auditor 

 of memberships in the finance department, shows 

 that the geographical position of a county — whether 

 it lies in "Little Egypt" or along the Wisconsin 

 line — -makes but little difference in the rate the 

 members pay their dues. And it's not the size of 

 the county, the number of members or the month 

 of the year the memberships fall due or the kind 

 of crops grown; it's business-like procedure. 



He finds that business-like methods are used in 

 the counties where collections are the best; Busi- 

 ness-like methods go hand-in-hand with a successful 

 farm bureau. 



Organization Points the Way 



By C. E. Mfttgrr, Dirtctor ol OrgtmitatioH. 



The farmer's problems can only be successfully 

 solved in a straightforward business-like way. The 

 solution of these problems is difficult, however, 

 when such a comparatively few farmers know what 

 the agricultural problems are and how to approach 

 them in the way of a solution. The problems of 

 the farmer are not all within the boundary fences 

 of his farm, so a decent understanding of farm 

 relationship demands that the viewpoint of Mr. 

 Average Farmer must broaden. 



The principal handicap is the low average price 

 level of agricultural products as compared to the 

 general price level of most non-agricultural com- 

 modities. Four principal problems are to be met 

 before that handicap is overcome. They are: 



1. Close attention to legislative affairs. 



2. Distribution of his own products. 



3. Taxation. 



4. Economy in production. 



Not until the last few years has the farmer's 

 voice been heard in a very forceful way before the 

 law making bodies of the State and Nation. Up 

 until a comparatively short time ago the farmer 

 was not in a position to handle his legislative af- 

 fairs in the way that it is generally done in this 

 day of organization. Some very definite results 

 have been obtained, but the legislation secured so 

 far at the hands of Congress has "not given the 

 farmer much relief. The principal reason for the 

 defeat of -proposed legislation, which strikes di- 

 rectly at ihe farmers' trouble, can probably be 

 pretty Avell summed up in the old familiar phrase : 

 namely, "The farmer is not well enough organ- 

 ized." 



It is a common expression among opponents of 

 the McNary-Haugen bill that the farmers were 

 not agreed on the measure. It was pointed out 

 time and again that only about one-fourth of the 

 farmers of the country are in organizations. Then, 

 evidently, one of the matters which has to do with 

 the farmers securing legislation of the type that 

 will enable him to work out of his difficulties, is 

 the problem of organization. In other words, one 

 farmer in the organization, supporting it morally 

 and financially, with three on the outside desiring 

 in their hearts to ride free, can hardly carrj' this 

 load in addition to that of the opposition. 



The second problem involves a great many 

 things, chiefly among them is cooperative market- 

 ing and transportation. Many railroads during 

 the past j-ear have reported big earnings. With 

 sufficient volume of business and efficiency in man- 

 agement it might not be unfair to assume that 

 still some future reduction might be made on 

 freight rates of agricultural commodities. Trans- 

 portation is a big item of expense to the farmer. 

 It has been clearly worked out by the National 

 Live Stock Producers Association that out of an 

 actual operating expense of the Producers Com- 

 mission Companies in 1923, totaling $4,987,900, as 

 much as $3,142,500 went for freight. All of which 

 means that 63.02 cents out of each dollar which 

 the American farmer expended in marketing his 

 live stock was paid out for transportation. Prob- 

 lem number 2 on distribution involves the con- 

 struction and maintenance of Deep Water Ways, 

 which, again is linked up closely with legislative 

 affairs. Cooperative marketing of farmers' com- 

 modities is making headway. It will not, however, 

 solve all of the farmer's problems. Most of the 

 work done so far has been confined to handling 

 the commodities locally. It must be expanded 

 into the 'terminal markets. To handle many of 

 these commodities in a big way involves the use 

 of great sums of money. Inasmuch as the agri- 

 cultural industry at this time is not in a position 

 to put very much money into a marketing organ- 

 ization it behooves the leaders to work out some 

 .sort of plan whereby operations can be financed 

 largely- on borrowed money. Organizations of the 

 non-profit, non-capital stock type, are therefore be- 

 ing recommended. In order to obtain the neces- 

 sarj' credit it is often necessary to use a long time 

 binding contract covering the commodity which 



the individual has to market thru his association. 

 Farmers are slow as a rule to grasp the impor- 

 tance of a contract or to turn over evejj_lo their 

 own sales agency their products to be jMrketed in 

 a collective way. This again is a matter of edu- 

 cation and organization. ' 



Taxes on farm property have been increased 

 largely in the last few years and seemingly little 

 is being done to check the expenditure of immense 

 sums of money in governmental affairs. This 

 statement in itself outlines a problem which has 

 hardly been touched upon by any sort of civic 

 organization. The matter of equalization of val- 

 uations between various classes of property has 

 been studied quite extensively by this association 

 and has brought out some very striking facts. 

 Farm lands as a rule have been valued higher in 

 proportion to actual sales values than other classes 

 of taxable property for taxation purposes. Much 

 work has been done along that line and the results 

 are gratifying. Total reductions in farm land 

 faxes this year approximate $2,225,000. This work 

 must be continued, and it will again involve the 

 support of the individual thru his fanners' or- 

 ganizations to maintain and extend this work. 



Economy in production of farmers' commodi- 

 ties is a problem which will always confront every 

 farmer. No matter how efficient a farmers' mar- 

 keting organization might become there will al- 

 ways be some fanners who go broke for the rea- 

 son that they- are not efficient producers. An or- 

 ganization such as the Farm Bureau can point out 

 the problem and it can pretty largely point out 

 the best practices known today, but if real econ- 

 omy in the production of agricultural products is 

 to be brought about, each individual farmer is 

 going to do that job on his own fann. There are 

 matters in economy in production, of course, such 

 as the buying of supplies, seed, etc., which can 

 only be handled efficiently thru organization. 



Much time could be spent in the discussion of 

 each of these problems but it is our aim here only 

 to point out what the farmer's problems really 

 are, and to emphasize the fact that the solution 

 in all of these cases is organization, and that the 

 necessary organization of farmers to handle these 

 gigantic problems will only be perfected when the 

 men who are now members boost night and day 

 for the organization to which they belong, and 

 make every effort to educate neighboring farmers 

 who have not yet caught the vision of the prob- 

 lems of today. 



THE UARS' CONTEST 



*RAY FOR KA\HAN! 

 Editor, Llara* Contratt 



I read w^lth mach Intrrent the eoMtrlbutlonn of 

 >-oar Illinois Liars— and then with dliiBii*>t your 

 threat to Import some Men from Kaniiaa unless roar 

 vontrlbutors did better. 



I want roa to know that Kannns pei>ple do not 

 tell lies. The Ilea that emunate from thU land of 

 BunahtncH annflowera and annH-of-wlmrda. come 

 from the llllnola people who have emlKcated to 

 thia wonderfnl state and who have become vIctlmM 

 of temporary mental aberration by the sadden 

 emergence from darkneaa to Ilicht. The>- yet all 

 rlffht after having become acclimated. 



It Yvaa an Illinois man who, having been In Kan- 

 sas bat a abort time, wrote to bis brother who wan 

 to follow later: **Don*t come! Thia Is the oioat 

 Hellacloas climate yon ever saw. As I was driv- 

 ing to town yesterday one of my O-ien died from 

 aunatroke. Before I could s^t him aklnned the wind 

 turned to the northwest and froze the other one 

 to deatliu** 



I think It was another llllnola man who upon 

 his arrival in the state heard a KanHas man make 

 a perfectly truthful and reuNonnhle Mlatenicnt about 

 his milk cow havinic been in heavy flow of milk 

 for aonte three years without hnvlnfc freshened. 

 He batted in with the atatemrnti "That's nuthin.' 

 My father had a cow that ffive three sullons of 

 milk ■ day far two years, and she never did have 

 a calf, and her mother before her never had a 

 calf." 



Mr. Editor. yOD*re rlieht. If you want aome biK 

 stories follow aome of your Illinois men to Kansas. 

 But do It before they have attained the rights of 

 eltlaenshlp here. Don't wait for their return, either. 

 They never come back. 



Yours In the Interest of truth,*^Ralph Snyder, 

 President Kansas State Farm Bureau. Manhattan. 

 Knnaaa. 



WE ARE NOT SURPRISED AT ANYTHING FROM 

 MIZZOL' .NOW 



Dear Rdltort 



In Phelps eounty, Missouri, before sei-arlng- the 

 NfKnaturrs of 09 44/ lOO per cent of the farmers to 

 the producers* contract, we obtained the slirnatures 

 of 100 per cent to the Community Promissory Note 

 which followai 



••I promise to pay a regular .attendance to my 

 community farmers' niectinfCN at the time and place 

 dealRnated, the intercMt rate to be ltN» per cent ; 

 and the note nut nesutlable, hut renewable on any 

 meeting: date by proper payment of Interest) It 

 belnjc understood that failure to pay either Interest 

 or principal means that I am to receive with all 

 courtesy a friendship committee whose duty Is to 

 help me receive the true eooperntlve spirit, and. 

 should 1 prove to be such a contrary person that 1 

 cannot receive sach a thluK. I further promise to 

 leave the community to Join my own kind and 

 make room for a person with an nnderstandins 

 heart and forKlvlnfc spirit— the two requirements 

 necessary to solden rule cooperation." 



■*Lleindy** yours,— kS. H. Ilesa, Rolla, Missouri. 



How about It, lUinolsf Are there any Sucker de- 

 fenders t 



Ls. vre spent our vacation In the MInsourl Osarks. 

 The ilrst mornlnsr we were there, we were wakened 

 by a series of blood-curdlluK shouts from the tim- 

 ber. "What," we cried tremlillnKly. rfi-iillinit; tales 

 of deadly mountain feuds. "In thntf "'i'hat yel- 

 lln'f" calmly replied our boat, "Why. that's l.ute 

 Simpson's oldest boy. Wolf. He's «1 years old to- 

 day, and they*re puttin' clothes on him.**— Mary 

 Zirkle, 1. A. A. ofllce^ Chicago. 



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