The 



lUitiois A^cidtural Assodatioa 

 HECORD 



Published monthly by the Illinois Agricultural Association at 165 So. Main St., Spencer, Ind. Editorial Offices, 608 So. Dearborn St., Chicagro, 111, 

 Application for transfer of second class entry from Marshall, 111., to Spencer, Ind,, pending:. Acceptance for mailiner at special rate of postage pro* 

 vided in Section 412, Act of Feb, 28, 1925, authorized Oct, 27, 1925. Address all communications lor publication to Editorial Offices, Illinois Agrri* 

 cultural Association Record, 608 So, Dearborn St., Chicago. 



Number 8 



AUGUST, 1931 



Volume 9 



Wonderful Peach Crop 



Leeper Tells Listeners 



Hot Weather and Moisture Aid in 

 Developing Quality Fruit 



THE Illinois peach crop this year is 

 wonderful in two ways: first, the 

 yield will be large, and second, the 

 quality will be the best ever produced 

 in Illinois, A. B. Leeper, director of 

 fruit and vegetable marketing for the 

 I. A. A., told radio' listeners in a talk 

 over station >5(^MAQ Tuesday, Aug. 4. 



"There is no better peach than the 

 Illinois Elberta," said Mr. Leeper. "The 

 quality is excellent this year because 

 the growers have been doing a better 

 job of cultivating and spraying their 

 orchards than in former years. And 

 what is more important, they have done 

 a thorough and complete job of thin- 

 ning the fruit. 



"Many of our growers pulled off 

 three-fourths of all the peaches on the 

 trees so that the remaining one-fourth 

 might take on the proper size. Climatic 

 conditions have been right to produce 

 high quahty, clean fruit. There was 

 almost a total absence of insect injury 

 this year. Spraying was an easy task. 



Hot Weather Helps 



"The hot weather of the last few 

 weeks was conducive to the develop- 

 ment of high quality peaches. It takes 

 hot weather to produce a high quality 

 peach, and during the last few weeks 

 we hav^ had plenty of that kind of 

 weather, together with sufficient mois- 

 ture to give the necessary vitality to 

 the trees and insist on producing a 

 large fruit. 



"The Illinois Fruit Growers Exchange 

 will handle more than double the num- 

 ber of cars we have ever handled in 

 any previous season. But we need the 

 support of the consumer to assist our 

 growers in realizing some returns from 

 their time, labor, and investment. 



"We solicit your business and will 

 give you as good or better service than 

 any other distributor." Mr. Leeper com- 



President Smith Speaks at 



Soldiers, Sailors Reunion 



Large Audence Gathers for Picnic 

 at Salem, July 28 



The famnuii "Illini Brand" Elbertnn from 

 Southern Illinois. 



mented on the splendid co-operation the 

 Exchange and the growers have re- 

 ceived in the past from the Illinois 

 Chamber of Commerce. He spoke of 

 the proclamation issued by the governor 

 designating August 16 to 31 an Illinois 

 peach harvest festival. 



The Exchange will co-operate with 

 distributors and groups of consumers 

 who wish to buy peaches in wholesale 

 lots. There are only 400 bushels of 

 peaches in a car and even small com- 

 munities can use at least a carload. 



"Why nOt begin now and form a 

 peach club in your community or 

 neighborhood. Advise the Exchange 

 and arrange to purchase peaches in car- 

 lots. A substantial saving can be made 

 on the purchase price and the consumer 

 will be assured of getting the best qual- 

 ity." 



Leeper thanked the Buy Illinois Prod- 

 ucts Commission, of which Eugene D. 

 Funk is chairman and George C. Whar- 

 ton secretary, for their fine co-operation 

 in advertising Illinois peaches. 



Lack of capital, lack of farming ex- 

 perience, poor roads and the fact that 

 in many cases children leave the coun- 

 try to work in cities were found to be 

 the principal causes of farm abandon- 

 ment in New Jersey. 



THE history of Marion county served 

 as the background for the address 

 of Earl C. Smith, president of the Illi- 

 nois Agricultural Association, delivered 

 before a large audience at Salem at the 

 23 rd District Farm Bureau picnic July 

 28. The picnic was held jointly with 

 the Soldiers' and Sailors' Reunion. 



Appropriate to the occasion, Mr. 

 Smith delved into the past of Marion 

 county and compared the war for the 

 preservation of the Union with the pres- 

 ent economic struggle between groups 

 and nations. The need for organization 

 and leadership in solving today's eco- 

 nomic problems is just as great as was 

 the need in 1861 to preserve the Union, 

 he said. ' 



He reviewed the tax history of 

 Marion county and showed that while 

 assessed valuations of property in the 

 last 10 years had greatly declined, prop- 

 erty owners are paying six times more 

 taxes today than they paid 30 years ago, 

 even with a lower tax rate. 



Values Decline ' 



"The total value of the farms in 

 Marion county in 1920 was stated by 

 the Census Bureau to be $18,833,981," 

 Mr. Smith said. "In 1925 this total 

 value had been reduced to $13,974,334 

 and in 1930 a further reduction brought 

 the figure to $11,019,937. What has 

 been the trend of local tax bills in 

 Marion county? In 1899 your total tax 

 bill on all the property in the county 

 was $140,165. Ten years later it had 

 increased to $335,963; in 1919 you 

 witnessed another increase to $703,28 5 

 and in 1929 the astounding figure of 

 $917,980. 



"While I am sure you have recog- 

 nized the increase in taxes, I wonder 

 how many really know how it was 

 accomplished. In 1899 you had a tax 

 {Contmntd next pMge, col. 1) 



