Morris tribune., 1911-11-10
BUSINESS OF FARMING.
How to Increase its Earning
Power.

sideration was given to the question
! Of methods of improving the business
| of farming. -.
| After the most excellent banquet,
the company adjourned to the assem-
bly, room. where over two hours of
time was devoted to earnest discus
sions of pressing farm problems. The
program began with the rendition of
vocal solo. cloves Old Sweet
Song" by Mrs. Nugent.
Not in a spirit Of criticism. but as
a statement of the conditions which
the Stevens county farmers generally
must meet, Supt. E. c. Higbie out
lined the present needs of Stevens
county. He spoke particularly of
the unsafe grain farming with its
robbery of soil fertility, of the stock
not being high bred. of too much foul
seed. of not enough people, of poor
farm buildings. of the lack of CO.
operation, and of the lack of business
methods.
Mrs. Nugent was called on to speak
of "Sanitary and Health Conditions,
and Drought out the need of more fresh
air in the homes. the unsanitary con-
dit;on of beds and carpets. the need
of better cooked foods, and the care
of food, of the need of bathing. and
the care of children, and the injury
to small children from too much smok
ing in the home.
Prof. G. R. Ingalls, spoke of the
possibilities in dairying and drew a
most interesting comparison between
Stevens county and the Island of
Jersey in the English channel. He
showed on the blackboard the follow
ing comparisons -
Acres Pop. Cattle
Jersey 80, $50 10000 1900
Stevens Co. 368, $40 5000 10, 500
In Jersey, there is an animal to
every three and third acres; in
Stevens county there is one to every
81 acres. II. Jersey there is person to
every six-tenths Of an acre: in Stevens
county. one to every II acres. The
Island of Jersey is only about one.
eight of the size Of Stevens county and
yet it has more cattle and supports
nearly seven times as many people.
Mr.. Ingalls, spoke especially of the
need of better grades of cows here.
Mr.. L. C. Spooner was asked to
speak Of the Possibilities in Trans
portation. He spoke briefly of the
Merchon canal scheme and then asked |
to be excused On account of the late.
ness of the hour and the other speak |
ers to be heard
Tie next division of the program |
related to the way to accomplish the |
things needed. and under this head, |
Prof. P. E. Miller spoke of seed selec-
tion, and especially of the Importance
of selecting good seed corn.
Alfred Carlsted, of Dassel spoke
also of the Importance of seed selec-
tion and told how on their farm they
used seed plot for raising seed. He
also spoke of "Co-operation, and
how their present Farmers Corpora
tion. had grown up. First local
farmers clubs were formed. and these
were later united into farmers
county organizations, dealing with
different subjects. 1t was then found
that there were too many organiza-
tions, and so all the work was taken
over by the Farmers Corporation,
which has cow testing department.,
an egg selling department by which
the farmers have realized three cents
a dozen more for their eggs, a stock
department which was very
successful the past season, and seed
department. which is just being start
I'd.
At this point Mr. Higbie appointed
committee composed of J. S. Nor
:on. of Hancock, Albert Hoffman, of
Norris. and C. C. Erstad. to report on
he advisability of forming a county
The committee later
'eported. that it believed that local
'ather than county organizations should
'e encouraged. and the report was
'dopted.
DR.. Gray. of the state university.
vas next called upon and spoke, of.
o-operation-especially as he found
t in Europe. He spoke frst of howl
ertain great capitalists in this coun- :
~ made money by controlling ali the
teps of manufacture from the raw
Material to the finished product, citing
ow the steel trust owns iron mines,
docks, steamships and
and how it made money at :
ach step. This he believed the farm
r should do. He also spoke of the