Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-12-08
A FARMERS INSTITUTE
Annual Meeting of State Asso-
citation Now In Session In
Des Moines
PROGRAM is UNUSUALLY GOOD
Larger Number of Delegates Present
From County Farmers Institutes
Than Ever Before - Proposed Pure
Food Law Under. Consideration at
the Meeting.
Special to Times Republican.

! Special to Times Republican.
| Des Moines. Dec. S.-The annua
state farmers institute is in session
In Des Moines. This year the sessions
are being held in q down town hall
There has been some difficulty expert
enced in getting persons to attend
me etings held in the state capitol, es-
pectally in the evening, and it was
thought best to try having the meet
| ings near the big hotels. The program
this year is an unusually good one
with such specialists as John Hamii-
| ton, of Washington land +. d. Coburn.
OF Kan sas, as chief features, with fine
! array of Iowa talent from the colleg IS
and the farms. The related societies
| also hold meetings here-the horticul-
turists and park and forestry and the
| state agricultural convention. The
latter is the statutory meeting OF rep
| resentatives of the locsl and district
associations and delegates from agri-
cultural Institutes to select the state
agricultural board. This year there
will be larger number of delegates
from the county farmers institutes
than ever before. The law providing
that county institutes may send dele
gates to these meetings broadened the
scope of the institutes and more repre-
| sentative gatherings are held. with a
small proportion OF those who are In
! terested strictly in the fair business
During the year ended June 80, 1903
there were fifty-eight county institutes
| held in the state. tho delegates did not
come from all these counties to the
state institute. The last year there
| The total amount paid out by the stats
for institute work during the biennial
period was $6.s01.s5. OF which $4,-
035.33 was paid this year. The state
laid for each institute runs from $40 to
SIS for the year. The following are
the counties that did not the past year
receive any state atd for holding insu-
tutes:
Osceola. Crawford. Warren. Henry.
Pocahontas, Powshiek. Union. Davis,
Dubuque, Adair, Wapello, Plymouth.
Jones, Montgomery Appanoose. Ham
ilton, Cass, Monroe, Allamakee, Benton,
Washington, Wayne. Webster, Potta-
wattamie, Lucas, Howard, Marshall.
Keokuk, Des Moines, Wright, Johnson,
Clark, and Lee.
The difference in the amounts paid
the counties is accounted for by the
expenses incident to the holding of in
st!tutes. The managers of these insti-
tutes are required to file with the state
auditor statement of expenses each
year. The program was taken up to
some extent today with discussion of
how to improve the farmers institutes
and what changes. are necessary in the
law. One suggestion, that of the secre-
tary OF the state agricultural board. is
that the secretaries be required to
make a complete report to the state
institute, including some Of the more
valuable papers, and thus much that Is
done at the farmers institutes in the
counties shall be made available for
the farmers of the entire state. The
county farmers Institutes have been
greatly benefited by the assistance Of
the men at the State College at Ames.
The professors have gone out over the
state and delivered many addresses
and have succeeded In arousing great
deal of interest in the work. This has
been especially true of Profe ssors Cur
tiss, Kennedy, Holden. Erwin, Price.
Pammel and some others. But 1t has
been made plain that the farmers in
stitutes are a permanent institution In
Iowa. Much attention has been given
TO the corn question at these institutes
during the past two years.
Another matter that is being consid-
cred at the meeting of agriculturists
here this week is that OF the proposed
pure food law. The grocars claim cred
ii. If it is to their credit, for having
defeated the pure food bill that was
fathered by the agriculturists two
years ago. They opposed it on the
ground that 1t would result in the
punishment of many honest grocers
and retailers who would be unable to
protect themselves from INSCRIPTIONS
johhers and manufacturers. The pen
alties ran against the seller of i'm
pure goods, and against the manufac-
turer only. when the goods were made
in Iowa. The plan now most in favor,
and 1t is one in which the farmers and
the grocers will agree, is to provide for
the punishment of thu persons who
take orders for impure or adulterated
goods. This will catch the drummers.
who go about the state selling stuff
that is not quite right AT the same
time it will not relieve the retailer who
sells the stuff. for If the retailer is ex-
empt he would shield the travelling
man and jobbing house. 1t is believed
the bin will be prepared In such way
that 1t will pass the legislature cas-
.ly chemist Will be provided under
the bill to look after Investigations
The annual convention of the state
horticulturalists today was not an en-
tirely Joyous one. The season has not
been such as to make the fruit and
flower people all happy. Secretary
Greene in his report remarked that