The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-07
MEETING OF FARMERS
MONTGOMERY AGRICULTURIsTs
 DISCUSS MANY TOPICS.
Planning for Telephone Service to
 Reach the Rural Districts. Urged to Prepare for Hard Times.

Montgomery County Agricultural Club was held yesterday morning at u:1O Street About forty members were pres ent and they were in session about two hours.
 A great many important subjects rcla- tive to the welfare of the club were ulS- cussed.
 F. J. Hagan. who has recently moved to the county from Kentucky, was elect ed a member of the Association. MT.
 Hagan has bought farm on the Carer Hill Road and has brought with him two | car loads of registered Shorthorn cattle | He is a notable exponent of stock rais- | ing Tn Montgomery County.
 A report was made by the Executi!e Committee, John Sellers. Chairman, Cn | the subject of rural telephone service. | The report embodied a plan of stock | company to be composed of subscribeIs | to the telephone. the snares being valued at $2o. One share is to be bought fy | each subscriber, with the condition that | each telephone shall not cost any more l thar one-half the present cost Of service
 to the city patrons of the local telepn0nv | company.
 This subject was discussed at length f by Messrs. Sellers. Houghton, Hagan and | others the general consensus Of oplnio4I | being that the plan was feasible. | MT. Sellers, as chairman of the coll- | mittec, Was directed by the club, wi-n | the association of such other members I as he might select, to make canvass | 1 ted to the prospective rural subscribers. | 1t IS the belief of the club that while III
 this community there IS not the density or rural white population eHlstIiig | telephone service can be established and maintained at a price far less than IS generally believed and that ultimately proper arrangement can be made w;.h the local company for an equitable GA- | change of service. This is d live issue | and pregnant with vital interest not oniy | to the progressive farmer who lives on | the land lie cultivates, but IS none the | less important to the large land owner who lives in the city. It is an easy ] means of prompt communication with those in charge of the active cultivation of the soil.
 The special committee composed of J. I'C. Adams and J. A. Barnes, appointed 4t | the last meeting of the club to taoul lte l and prepare the data heretofore submit | ted by various committees on the subject
 of fertilizers, hare made and submitted | an extensive report. This report was
 published in The Advertiser some weeks ago, '>-,-.-S
 The general subject of fertilizers and | the needs of plant food on various soils
 around Montgomery was discussed by l Messrs. J. C. Adams, M. B. Houghton, | W. H. Vaughn, J. A. Barnes, M. (.
 Scott. Dr. H. l.. Stone and others. This | form with tke direction that a copy be | mailed to each member of the club | 1t was evident from the discussion that | the subject is receiving the careful att | tention it merits and as a result 1t IS l believed that the farmer will Tn future | purchase more of the raw materials used | in fertilizers, make his own mixtures and | thus save from $4 to S per ton as against the market price for ready mix sd | goods offered by the chemical companies. 1 letter was read from Congressman | A. A. Wiley, showing that he was fnak- | inZ every effort Yitn Secretary of Az to hox- scaitf fIsirr of lands in this vicinity. Congressman 1 Wiley express ed the hope that sometiuia | in the neai future he would be able, with
 the cooperation of Secretary Wilson, to
 have this much needed work beg gIn
 around Montgomery. 1 At the request of Senator Morgan, James H.. Wilson, Secfetary of Agricul- l tura at Washington has forwarded 20
 packages of miscellaneous vegetable sc=i,
 each package containing five varieties. to | the club. The members will find these
 packages in the club rooms as soon as | they arrive.
 r The question of stock raising was fully | discussed by MT Hagan, Dr. H. L.
 stone. M. C.. Scott ard others. Dr. Stone l has recently purchased nucleus of q | herd of beef cattle of the Hereford breed
 and MT. Hagan, who has recently start ed in the stock raising business near | Montgomery, are largely interested 'n | this subject. Emphasis was laid on the | fact that the bull is half the herd and | consequently the importance of procuring | a registered bull.
 Marked interest is being taken in the meetings of the Association. but Presi- | dent Houghton has found it necessary | to call the attention of the club to the fact that the chairmen of some of the l committees are not taking such interest
 in their work as its importance demands. | He therefore requested each such chair man to notify him that he could not Gt- | tend to his duties in order that others
 more willing might be substituted. The question of the possibility of hold ing an agricultural fair in Montgomery | next fall was raised and the stand.T.S
 committee on "State and County Fairs | and Exhibits and Premiums for Special 1 F. J. Hagan. J. c. Adams. A. M. Balu- win. J. D. Roquemore were named as | this committee, with instructions to care l fully consider the subject and see if l l successful county fair could not be held at Montgomery this coming fall. | President Houghton, in closing the
 meeting, said:
 "l would urge the importance of con | servatism in farm operations for the
 year 1904. Do not allow golden visl 1ns | Of prosperity as the result of all cotton | and high prices next winter allure you | to the neglect of making provision for | man and beast. Do not contract debts | on the basis of expected big prices enr
 the coming crop. The speculators and | manufacturers want a large crop. and if
 made they can find abundant excuses for
 
 | production.
 | "The outlook for the future financially
 Is not so bright. Fifty million of dollars
 Is about to be withdrawn from the United | states in payment of the Panama canal | to be followed by perhaps 800, ,000. .OO0 moro within a few years Iron and steel, usu- | ally considered the barometers of trade
 are selling for about half the price ob- | tained two years ago and slow sale at | the reduced values. Stocks and securities | have greatly declined and there is but
 little confidence in the stability of pres | ent quotations.
 "The peace of tfe civilized world is | threatened by clouds of war in the Far
 East, which will blockade markets and
 unsettle confidence and trade "The farmer has never prospered by
 the all cotton craze the speculdtor, the
 6e and nd the ds1 hsye The
 Keep the expenditure dowr diversity,
 make cotton, hays corn, home supplies
 raise cattle. hogs. sheep and plant or
 chards The farmer with these resources will win independence. fortune and COL
 tentment, while the one crop man is
 her to debt, disappointment often pu,.