•I I Ej Ij 1 



H£ClJJLTrilAL 



MISS rW.RY cjHUErSASH. LfPRARIAN 



COLL'-Gr:. OF AGRIC"LTU:U' . 



.1 



OCIA 



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Volume 3 



Issued Every Other Saturday for 63,000 thinking Fanners — August 29, 1925 



^4o. 17 



REINSURANCE COMPANY 

 MEETING WITH HEARTY 

 APPROVAL: McFARLAND 



Secretary and Manager o t 

 New Company Writes of 

 Success o { New Project 



you will be interested in what 

 Wm. B. McFarland, the author 

 of this article, has to say about 

 the new reiih- 

 stirance com- 

 pany. He has 

 been in the 

 farm mutual in- 

 surantie work 

 for near I y 35 

 years, and 

 therefore knows 

 the ins and 

 outs. He it 

 secretary and 

 manager of the 

 new company 

 «T » u «- . ^ and says he and 

 his farm mutual 

 friends have been hoping for 

 many years to get such a com- 

 pany on its feet. Read it. 



I AM mighty glad to see the hearty 

 response and encouragement the 

 Farmers' Mutual Reinsurance 

 Company of Illinois is receiving 

 from the local fire insurance com- 

 panies and from the county Farm 

 _^ Bu/eaus of the state. Almost with- 

 out exception wherever it has been 

 presented it has met with hearty 

 approval. 



Reinsurance has enlisted the best 

 thought of those interested in farm 

 insurance both in this and other 

 states for a number of years. Vari- 

 ous plans have been proposed and 

 discussed at length at the state as- 

 sociation meetings. Forms for in- 

 terchange of reinsurance among lo- 

 cal companies have been perfected 

 and many companies have availed 

 themselves of this. But a demand 

 for a larger, more comprehensive, 

 form or a state-wide company has 

 been apparent through all this dis- 

 cussion. 



The Farmers' Mutual Reinsur- 

 ance Company of Illinois is the re- 

 sult of this demand and has been 

 made possible by the co-operation 

 of the Farm Fire and Tornado 

 Companies and the Illinois Agri- 

 cultural Association. 



.Assi8t LocaIs, Xot Compete 

 With Them 



The object of this company is 

 only to assist and in no way to 

 compete, with the local companies. 



The laws of Illinois limit the 

 service of the local companies and 

 some local companies by reason of 

 eertain conditions limit the amount 

 of their own service. Some local 

 co'mpanies do not insure churches, 

 schoolhouses, or town halls, al- 

 though they are largely or wholly 

 supported by farm interests. 



This the state company will be 

 able to do. It will also, through 

 its blanket insurance, be able to 

 help the local companies in years 

 that its losses are excessive and 

 will share part of them, thus 

 spreading them over a term of 

 years, or In other words, doing for 

 the local company just what it 

 does for its patrons. Would it not 

 be fine for the local company to 

 say to its patrons that they were 

 backed by companies representing 

 50 to 100 million dollars? And 

 when that time comes the farmers 

 will be able to insure , whatever 

 their interest may require and ex- 

 cessive assessment will not be 

 heard of. 



The number of local insurance 

 companies and Farm Bureaus of the 

 same territory have been solicited 

 and have pledged a given amount 

 of the required $500,000 necessary 

 to procure the charter and have ap- 

 (Continued on page 4, col. 5.) 



O/ieration Plus Docs 

 Orders Causes Jardine 

 To Cancel Picnic Date 



' Due to doctors' orders. Secretary 

 Jardine cancelled his engagement 

 to speak at the annual I. A. A. pic- 

 nic at Taylorville. His message was 

 as follows: 



"The Secretary has been plan- 

 ning on fulfilling his appointment 

 at Taylorville, Aug. 27, but it was 

 found advisable for him to under- 

 go an operation for the removal of 

 his tonsils. It will take him several 

 days to recover from this operation, 

 but it is quite likely that he will 

 have to undergo further treatment 

 and rest before his return to his 

 duties. His doctors have absolute- 

 ly refused to allow him to accept 

 any speaking engagements. There- 

 fore he will have to cancel his Illi- 

 nois engagement." 



I. A A. Exhibit to be Shown at 



Aurora, Springfield and Chicago 



^ 



MOVE TO COORDINATE 

 ALL FARM STATISTICS 



Under a working agreement com- 

 pleted August 1st, 1925, the Illinois 

 crop and livestock reports will be 

 issued jointly by S. J. Stanard. di- 

 rector of the Illinois Department of 

 Agriculture, Springfield, and W. F. 

 Callander, chief, division of crop 

 and livestock estimates. United 

 States Department of Agriculture, 

 Washington, D. C. All reports will 

 be issued under the head of "Illi- 

 nois Co-operative Crop Reporting 

 Service." A. J. Surratt, federal ag- 

 ricultural statistician, will be in 

 charge. 



"The regular cro+i aud li\estock 

 reports issued monthly will repre- 

 sent the result of extensive investi- 

 gations by the combined state and 

 federal organizations for gathering 

 agricultural statistics," states Mr. 

 Surratt. "Briefly, the object of this 

 co-operative project is to improve 

 and extend the use of agricultural 

 statistics and to co-ordinate, so far 

 as practical, all the work in Illinois 

 relating to the collection, distribu- 

 tion and use of agricultural statis- 

 tics in such a way as to make the 

 work more effective and available, 

 to the farming public and avoid 

 duplication of effort. " 



John Thinker, member "i hh .• ■ ci the world. It displays the 

 Peppy County Farm Bureau and , spirit and magnitude of Agricul- 



neighbor of Epidermis Flint, is now 

 preaching the gospel of organiza- 

 tion and co-operation at agricul- 

 taral fairs. He still retains his job 

 as chief character of the comic strip 

 that is published each issue on the 

 editorial page of the I. A. A, Rec- 

 OKD, but for the til le being his audi- 

 ence has been increased. 



John Thinker and his farm is the 

 subject of the e.\hibit that has been 

 prepared by the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association to be shown this fall at 

 three fairs. On August 21-29, the 

 exhibit was displayed at the Central 

 States Exposition, Aurora, and will 

 be shown again at the Illinois State 

 Fair, Springfield, September 19-26, 

 and the Illinois Products Exposi- 

 tion. Chicago, October 8-17. 



Kepresent .AirririUtiiral Industry 



The exhibit is a large reproduc- 

 tion of a substantial farm with all^ 

 the equipment and buildings that 

 are needed in the work of helping 



To Be Miss Agriculture | 



Will This Young Lady Carry the 

 Illinois Banner on World Tour? 



MISS AGRICULTURE! That's her name in the office. Her real 

 name is Miss Hilma Johnson. She lives in Batavia, Kane conn- 

 ty, and is an employee of the Illinois Agricultural Association. 



However, the position of secretary of the accounting department 

 of the I. A. A. does not satisfy 

 all of Miss Johnson's ambitions 

 so now she wants to carry the 

 Illinois banner arqund the 

 world to represent the grand 

 old industry that feeds all of 

 us — Agriculture. 



To realize her ambition, she 

 must sell more tickets than any 

 other down-state girl for the 

 Illinois Products Exposition, 

 which opens in Chicago on 

 October 8 and shows "Mighty 

 Illinois on Parade" until the 

 17th. If she wins she gets a 

 four-month free trip around 

 the world. 



"It all the farmers who plan 

 to attend the Exposition would 

 buy their tickets of me, I'd 

 have a good chance to win," 

 Miss Johnson says. "I am try- 

 ing my hardest for I certainly 

 want that trip. I'm most in- 

 terested in agriculture so I 

 want to represent agricultural 

 interests in the campaign." 



The I. A. A., Prairie Farmer 

 and Orange Judd Illinois Fann- 

 er are supporting Miss John- 

 son. Tickets are 35 cents each 

 if bought in advance from Miss 

 Johnson and 50 cents at the 

 door. Write the I. A. A., Prairie Farmer or Orange Judd Illinois 

 Farmer if you want tickets. Let's send Miss Agriculture around the 

 world! 



ture. 



It Is'sumnuT time on the farm 

 and Johin Thinker may be seen mak- 

 ing hay as he drives a load of al- 

 falfa to the barn, unloads it and re- 

 turns to the field again at regular 

 intervals'. Trucks and wagons can 

 be seen driving along the road 

 carrying agricultural products to 

 the city. On the right of the exhibit 

 is shown a railroad train loaded 

 with grain and livestock going to 

 the terminal markets. Road signs 

 tell the story of farming and co- 

 operation to the passersby. 



Time and expense have been used 

 to make this exhibit one that every 

 Illinois farmer may be proud of as 

 representing his industry and his 

 organization. It is to sell the Farm 

 Bureau and the I. A. A. to the peo- 

 ple of Illinois. Every farmer who 

 plans to attend the state fair or the 

 exposition at Chicago should go 

 around to the I. .\. A. booth to see 

 the exhibit. 



ONE SPOON'S BEST TO 

 ADMINISTER POSTAL 

 COST REMEDY: A-FfB-F. 



Board of Directors Decide One 

 Sutement for 48 States WUI 

 Suffice in Portal Rate JFigitt 



A singi* statement concfrnin*: 

 the new postal rates present ?d re- 

 cently to the Joint Congret Bional 

 Postal Committee in Wash ngton 

 will repre^nt the concens is ot 

 opinion of > the American fa 'mers. 

 This was the decision reach sd by 

 the board 6f directors of the Amer- 

 ican Farm Bureav Federation in 

 session in Chicago, August 19 and 

 20. 



It was felt that a single stal emeni 

 reflecting the national point o [ view 

 would be more effective thin 48 

 state briefs. However, the stat« 

 Farm Bureaus, where convi nient, 

 will meet with the postal cimmit- 

 tee, which is scheduled tc hold 

 further hearings in various p irts of 

 the countrtr, and will presen local 

 testimony ia support of the ni tional 

 brief. 



The American FArm Burea i Fed- 

 eration argued before the com mittee 

 in Washington that there is ample 

 room In the Post Office opei ations 

 for economy. Gradual reort aniaa- 

 tlon of th« ser\ice would b« suffi- 

 cient to wipe out the deficit which 

 present flgtires seem to indica ^e will 

 accrue duiting this fiscal yei^, the 

 Federation declared. 



Itiite Increaiies CuttlnK \ ol^mr 



Tlie Faflm Bureoc furthc! held 

 that not sufficient time has « apsed 



to show hour much of a deficil 

 will be nor just where it will 



but there s^^ms ample evlden( e that 



Miis Hilna JoKrur. SMretary. I. A. A. devftrl- 

 ■ent If t9-*9tr»\i>it antURtilil. 



Farmers Like to Hear 

 Old Time Songs Best, 

 Radio Survey Reveals 



Jazz and syncopation have failed 

 to lure rural people away from the 

 old time tunes. 



This is conclusively shown by a 

 radio survey recently completed by 

 WLS. Old time melodies like "Sil- 

 ver Threads Among the Gold," 

 "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," 

 and "Old Kentucky Home," are 

 more popular with the country folks 

 than "Don't Bring Lulu," "Red Hot 

 Mama" and "That's All There la. 

 There Ain't No More Blues." 



The survey questionnaire was 

 sent out on the air during the R. F. 

 D. dinner bell programs. Responses 

 were received from 681 in the states 

 of Illinois, Indiana. Michigan. Iowa 

 and Ohio, the average distance 

 away of the listener in being 98 

 miles and the longest distance 400 

 miles. The total number of homes 

 included was 2,500. with an average 

 of four listeners in each home. 

 Old Time Tuiies I.,ike<l H«k| 

 To the question "What kind of 

 music do you like best?" the replies 

 revealed the following:- old time 

 tunes, 3^9; popular. 205; classical, 

 39; all musical programs, 42; sa- 

 cred, 16; string music. 12; instru- 

 mental riiusic, 10; Ford and Glenn, 

 66; Cornhuskers' Orchestra, 43; 

 harmonica, 44; Hawaiian guitar. 

 88. 



"Yearning" leads the list of pop- 

 ular old time songs. The others in 

 the order of their popularity are: 

 "Silver Threads Among the Gold," 

 "When Vou and I Were Young, 

 Maggie, •< "Old Black Joe," "Oh, 

 Katerina," "Oh How I Miss You To- 

 night," "When You and I Were Sev- 



there 

 occur 



goes to show that there wil be 

 falling off lin the parcel post busi- 

 ness and possibly in the 3r<i class 

 business 



This was predicted by the Ameri- 

 can Farm Bureau Federation when 

 the new rstes were being i ritten 

 and strenuous protest made a gainst 

 it. The Farm Bureau also ol jected 

 to the general increase in tl e sal- 

 j j^ ea of postal emgloyees, bel lering 

 ^ «>mh the beads of the Post Office 

 department and the administration 

 that there was no necessity for a 

 60 to 70 million dollar incre ise in 

 salary and that a few millioni spent 

 where there was demonstrate I need 

 would be ample to meet the situa- 

 tion. 



The Federation has sug nested 

 that there be a gradual reorc anlta- 

 tion of the rural delivery s 'stem, 

 lengthenint: the routes. The roates 

 have not b^en lengthened ma terial- 

 ly since the automobile and bard 

 surfaced roads were introduce d and 

 only a very small percentage of the 

 routes ar4 classified as ' m«tor 

 routes" an| yet between 75 i nd 85 

 per cent of the R. F. D. carrifrs use 

 automobile^. 



KnfERestK Fewer City Dellvi riee 

 The Federation has also sug seated 

 possible efconomies througl the 

 elimination of some of the del veries 

 in the city, some municicalities 

 having as high ae seven del veries 

 in the busilness section and flre de- 

 livecies in the mixed businei s and 

 residence Actions. For thi pur 

 pose of proper bookkeeping al least, 

 the J7,000i«00 paid from th< U. S. 

 Treasury to the Post Office depart- 

 ment for cirrying franked anl pen- 

 alty mattet should be chare pd up 

 against thSse who use it, si ch as 

 the various departments aAd mem- 

 t)ers of Cohpress. 



enteen," "Red Wing," "Carh- Me 

 Back To Old Virginny," "Hi w Do 

 You Do," TLet Me Call You Iweef- 

 heart," "Put on Your Old Grey 

 Bonnet," 'll'kelele Lady." "I i Sha- 

 •^owland." "By the Light ot The 

 Stars," "Uoonlight and Hoses." 

 "Swanee River," "Turkey i n the 

 Straw." "Midnight WalU," "J umor- 

 esque," "Blue Eyed Sally." • Let it 

 Rain, Let it Pour," and "Oh Ken- 

 tucky Hoiae." ' 



