Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1907-01-16
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
The Two Day Session Held in Alma
Largely Attended--Good
Interest Throughout.
INTRODUCTORY BY W. 7. PITT
Prof. Roth Of University of Michigan
Furnished an illustrated Address
on Forestry.

The Farmers Institute held here las
week Thursday and Friday was YER
successful affair. The meeting wa
opened by w. 7. Pitt, who sald
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, CITIZENS ol
ALMA AND GRATIoT COUNTY:
Since last we met at Ithaca, one yea
ago, we have celebrated our Colder
Jubilee, the year Ieo6, being the fiftiett
year since the organization of our county
Very few riding through it today would
think it possible that the dense forests
could be removed, the swamps drained
the roads and bridges built, the school
houses, the railroads, the cities and viii
lagos, with their sugar and many Other
manufacturing industries and the most
important of all the beautiful farm homes
In our country, the foundation of the
wealth of all countries. All this change
has been made in the last so years.
Only last week one of the sturdy pion-
GERS. who has witnessed all these changes
made during this period, the first to
organize Sunday school, the man who
married the first couple, and was the
first Treasurer of the county, who was
present at Lees surrender in the Civil
war, one of our best loved citizens, passed
on to the great beyond. refer to Iaf-
ayette Church of Arcadia. To me it seems
fitting time to halt moment. mid the
busy scenes Of life and pay our last re-
spects to this departed pioneer nobleman.
Institute meetings OF this kind are for
the purpose of bringing to the farmer,
knowledge that is gained at our Agricul-
ture college by experimenting, which the
average farmer does not have the time
nor facilities to do with. This is an age
OF education in everything. We are not
content to farm as our fathers did, we
want better tools to till the soil, better
crops, better stock and better fruits.
Our esteemed President Roosevelt says,
''if you would better your condition in |
life, first prepare yourself to fill better
condition" and we echo his sentiment.
they find them without trying to change
conditions that would better themselves.
their neighbors and their surroundings.
believe that the time is near at hand.
when the farmer will wake up from his
long Rip Van Winkle sleep and have
something TO say about the price of the
products of his labors, the same as other
business men do. If you arc not men,
Der OF Farmers Club or Grange, join
one at once. Remember the State
Grange and the State Federation of
Farmers Clubs were created to guard and
foster the Agricultural interests of the
commonwealth, these two associations
claim membership exceeding 5000
The motto of the Grange is 1.-THE
farmer is of more consequence than the
farm and should be first improved
The Farmers club motto is ''the skill
ful hand with cultured mind is the far
mers' most valuable asset 5
One very important study for the far
mer is the soil condition OF his farm. q
Find out what crops your land is best q
adapted too, then work accordingly. i
Take your county and daily papers,
magazines, two or three good agricultural
papers, read them carefully, adopt the
good but do not depend OH them entirely
'or papers like individuals are not in
'alible. Read the experiment station c
'eports and you will gain a lot of useful a
Information, and last but not least, re-
member this adage, that force to succeed a
must have thought behindit."
Following the Introductory speech u
anne NJ. l.. Dean of Napoleon, whose z
nbject, "The soil the farmers bank"
reused quite discussion. He was fol- p
owed by Jotham Allen who talked on
he similarity of the bank to the soil. o
His thought was that if you overdrew ca
our account at the bank your check G
would not be honored. and if YOU kept Jc
aising one crop after another on your
arm without putting proper fertilizer {
n Il would not be long before your farm
Fould cease to produce Beans and
ow to grow them was the next subject. n,
pened by w. +. Raven, Brooklyn. who er
Omitted that he was not a successful IN
can grower, so could not give the sub
.ct justice. He was followed by r. {. ar
axe, who has made a success at this CO
articular line and who gave a very in NJ
'resting talk on the subject The meet r.
" was then adjourned until afternoon,
hen II was opened by the question box tn
charge Of MI Dean, after which a Ct
'ng was given by G. w. Sutton, which III,
.lled for an encore. Corn and its cul- 70