The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-05-16
rARMEEs, 1NsT1rUrn MrErINe.
Special Correspondence From wasco
and Sherman.

and sherman.
WAsco, May 13.-The convention
opened this morning with large at
tendance. Frank Lee of the Northeast
Farmer read paper which contained
some excellent practical suggestions on
Business Methods on the Farm. y
Farmers as class, said Mr.. Lee, are
sadly deficient in business methods. In
no other avocation could men afford to
lose, as farmers do, from sheer lack of
business methods, and yet live. How
much is lost by sowing foul wheat, by
neglecting to select the best seed. by not
preparing fruit, butter, etc., in proper
manner for market. He recommended
that farmers should plan their work
ahead. Each should keep diary or day
book in which entries should be kept as
to yield of crops, when planted, how
much they realized. Not one farmer in
hundred can tell how much it costs to
raise a pound of beef. He strongly
urged the adoption of the cash system
in the purchase of all supplies needed
on the farm. Better far if possible bor-
row money and purchase for cash than
buy on credit. No farmer should buy a
threshing machine unless he is prac-
tical mechanic. He had seen threshing
machines that ate up horses, hogs, cat
tie, crops, and even farms. Machinery
should be carefully housed at the end of
the season and put away ready for use
the coming season.. Method and regu-
larity are laws of nature. Let the
farmer cultivate them.
Mr.. Lees paper was followed by a
short essay by Mrs. Hattie Andrews on
"How to tighten the work of the farm
housewife. The husband should rise
early, said Mrs. Andrews, light the fire,
set on the kettle. and potatoes, and
sweep the kitchen floor. Then wake up
the wife and she will do the rest. At
noon he should come in early from the
field, cut plenty of wood and pack water
where necessary. The supper she will
prepare without his help. Finally, she
urged the married farmer to be man
and to eschew cards and wine and every
other pleasure he could not share with
his wife.
This was followed by Professor Wash
burn, in a paper on "Insect Pests of the
Farm and Orchard The nature and
habits of various pests were described
with the most approved methods of their
determination.
A. B. Craft followed on "Co-opera-
tion." Unlike any other business the
farmer has nothing to say about the
price of what he buys or sells. Hemust
take what he can get and pay what is
asked. Farmers should pool their in
terests in the matter of buying and SELL
ing. He did not believe in farmers get
ting poorer all the time while others all
around them are getting richer. Farm
ers have the power of benefting them
selves if they will only use it. We can
not get along without some middle men.
but one man between the manufacturers
and the buyers is enough. Why should
three or four rniddlemen each reap a
profit off everything the FARMER has to
buy. Cooperation has not always been
a failure. Farmers should be more
united in everything in which their own
should they cooperate at the polls.
As the hour of noon had now arrived
discussion was deferred till the afternoon
session and the meeting adjourned.
On reassembling Mr.. John Smith
opened the discussion on cooperation
by general statement as to the success
of the farmers warehouse which he had
managed for short time last year. The
warehouse had handled about one-third
of the grain crop of Sherman county.
Besides this it had dealt in lumber,
wood and coal and while successful in
itself had greatly aided in furnishing
genuine competition. C. j. Bright
claimed there was not enough money in
circulation. The national banking sys-
tenn was the worst in the world. If
there was plent of money in circulation
the credit system would die. Then the
old straw about the per capita circula-
tion being only So instead of nearly $24
was threshed over again, though just
what this had to do with cooperation
was not apparent. A. s. Roberts called
attention to the success that had at
tended cooperative farmers associa-
tion in Texas, which started IL years
ago with a capital of $265.O0 and was
now worth $4,000.
Professor French followed with a paper
written by Wallis Nash on Transports
tion' which strongly deprecated such
legislation against railroad corporations
as would cripple them or hinder the
building of new and competing lines.
&c. Brock followed on the same SUBJ
ject. Carrying wheat by wagons from
Wasco to Grants, a distance of 20 miles