The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-11-07
Maple River Farmers. Club.

the members of the Maple River Farm
ers Club last week Thursday afternoon
at their home south of the city. Be-
sides the members few friends OF the
club were also present and among the
latter were Rev. Carlos II. Hanks, of
this city, who took Mr.. b. E. Smith,
the assistant secretary and treasurer of
the newly organized Owosso Sugar
Company, with him. AS partial re-
suit of the presence of the latter gentle
man the meeting developed considerable
sugar beet flavor early in the session,
quite overshadowing the regular pro-
gram in interest.
The club has begun its all-day meet
ings and the members gathered at the
old family home long enough to have a
considerable part of the program for the
day completed before the dinner hour.
Explanatory remarks concerning the
situation regarding the erection of the
beet sugar factory and more particular
ly the raising of the necessary acreage
guaranteed by the business men of
Owosso were made by Mr.. Smith and
considerable interest was aroused. On
the regular program the paper of Floyd
C. Reynolds was given.
Mr.. Reynolds discussed the Interna-
tional Harvester Company, the newly
organized trust controlling all of the
harvesting machinery manufactured in
the United States, taking up the matter
in reference to its aims and to its re-
suits to the farmer. The saving in the
expense of large number of statesmen
c)vering the same field for the different
companies was one of the strong talk
ing points from the point of view of the
)mbine itself. 1t was claimed by the
organizers that they could effect such a
saving in salaries of statesmen alone that
good profits could be made by the trust
in spite of increased cost of raw mate
rails, without raising the cost of ma
chinery to the farmer. An important
point for the agriculturist in general
was brought up by Mr.. Reynolds in re-
spect to the effect which the trust would
have on the continued improvement of
farm machinery. Improvements have
been largely due to competition. New
models have been expensive but when
they were marked improvements they
paid in the increased sale they gave to
the company which devised a machine
better than its contemporaries. With
the object of pushing the sales of the
makes done away with, since
the profits of the business no longer de-
pend on that feature of the manufac-
ture, Mr.. Reynolds suggested that the
of the next few years
were not likely to keep pace with those
of the last few.
The dinner hour was one of the most
pleasant times of the day The bene-
diction was pronounced by Rev. G. H.
Hanks and visitor could not help
that it seemed more like a
great family reunion than any gather
ing together of mere neighbors and
friends There was an abundance to
eat and the chatting and visiting that
went on while the dinner was in pro-
gress kept the guests at the improvised
table for fully the usual length of time.
The dinner hour is always a feature
with the club and the social features
are as pleasing as the courses are tempt
ing. In neither respect was the last
behind the others.
After a considerable time spent in
when the dinner was over
and those who had assisted the host and
hostess were being served in turn, the
program was again taken up A long
discussion relative to the methods of
raising the acreage for the beet sugar
factory was entered into. There were
comparatively none who We're not ready
to admit that the factory would be
great advantage to every farmer in
county although there were
a few who were disposed to argue that
it would benefit only those who wished
to raise beets. The falsity of that posi-
ton was clearly shown by some of the
other members who rightly argued that
even If every farmer did not wish to
raise beets, so large an acreage could
not be devoted to beets without draw
ing off from the acreage planted to
other crops and thereby raising the
price of other farm produce. When it
came to the question Of having a hand
in the assistance of the men who have
the acreage for the com
pany, however, there was not the same
unanimity. No one was disposed to
claim that the city of Owosso should
bear the entire burden Of bringing the
sugar factory to the county and those
who objected the strongest to the carry
ing Of the proposition that the county
should pay $4,000 of the cost were
ready to express themselves as willing
to have hand in assisting in some way
less Objectionable to them. The legal
itv Of appropriating county funds was
the block over which the principal