Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-07
FARMERS OF
COUNTY MEET
1912 INSTITUTE OPENED THIS
MORNING WITH PROGRAM
TALKS WERE HEARD.
JAY MADE ADDRESS
President Of Organization Points OUT
the Accomplishments OF the
Year-Prof. p. C. Taft In
Chart Talk.

| The upstairs of the armory abounds
with rare specimens Of corn and other
grains and apples and other fruits
| that are produced by the Wapelio
county farmers. The lower floor OF the
building has been converted into an
auditorium, and it was in this that
the 1912 session Of the Wapello Coun'
ty Farmers Institute opened this
morning with the invocation pro-
nounced by Rev. T. w. jeffrey. the
institute will continue in session for
the balance of the week and every
minute of the two remaining days Will
be of interest to the agriculturallsts.
The program this morning consisted
of the annual address of President
David Jay and a PAPER showing now
the city and country should work to-
gether by Mayor L. A. Gordon. This
afternoons program was featured by
chart talks by Prof P. G. Taft of Ames
on How to Increase Grain Yields,Y
and on Pure Bred Live Stock, by
Prof. w. J. Kennedy of Ames.
Following the afternoons program,
! the Judges of the exhibits will make
their awards. Corn, small grains, nor
| ticultural products and farm displays
will be given cash prizes. One of The
prettiest displays of the institute is the
| writing, drawing, hand work, cutting
and sewing performed by the pupils
of the country schools, which is IN
charge of County Superintendent Bur
CESS. The ladies department Is being
put in order for tomorrow and Satur-
day.
| The program for tomorrow follows:
Forenoon. -.
"Silos and Silage"-Prof. l.. J. Cable.
Cooperation; It's Benefits. 4.
Dysart. -..,E
| Afternoon. t
Farm Drainage"-Dan Morey. i.
Some Interesting Soil Fertility
Problems" PROF. w. H. Stevenson.
| ,l. Ambulance Chaser" Hit.
Mayor l.. A. Gordon In his address
on, How City and Country Should
Work Together took broadside at
theelleged Ambulance chaser" whom
he referred to as the man who was
forever on the ground when an injury
occurred. and who would encourage
damage suits against the city. The
mayor said that the city and country
should work together to eliminate this
practice and replace it with scheme
similar to the employers liability and
compensation laws which provides for
settlements without trial. Ed.
~. Taft Gives Good Advice.
| Prof. Taft told the farmers this af-
ternoon that Iowa's corn crop is one
half of all the combined crops OF the
| state. He showed the results of the
experimental farms conducted in sew
eral counties of the state and spoke
g. good word in favor Of the proposed
farm bureau that Is being agitated Tor
Ottumwa. He urged the farmers to
save their own seed corn and to do so
before October 1. He cautioned them
to test it each year and to grade It,.
He showed how the best of the seed
corn should be planted on the south
side of the farm in one spot, so future
seed corn could be picked from it. The
strength Of good seed corn was shown
by actual tests on the charts carried
by the speaker
| Good Sire Necessary.
The necessity of good sires in the
live stock part of Iowa farms was
brought out by Prof. Kennedy.
"In this day and age Of high priced
land and high priced feeding stuffs we
must raise better live stock" said he.
1--WE must study the demands of the
markets and then set out to produce
the same. No man can expect to make
money out of the live stock business
who does not use good judgment In
the selection of his SIRE This con-
fined with good feed, care and arrange
ment usually bring good results. l do
not wish to be understood as advertis.
ing that every man should breed pure
live stock The truth of the matter
Is that about ninety per cent Of our
people will make more money out OF
good high grade animals. Every man
should use pure bred sire. The sire
must not only be pure bred but good
| individual as we'll. 1t is never a safe
policy to use a grade SIRE. Even in
the case of pure bred animals, not
over fifty per cent of them are really
fit for breeding purposes. No man
can ever be too critical in the selec
ton of his sire. The sire Is even
more than half of the herd.
I'm draft horse breeding we must
have size in conjunction with quality
and soundness. Iowa farmers mus,
! pay more and more attention to the
production of big cattle. The larger
states Of the west are not producing
forty per cent of the cattle today they
did some seven years ago. The big
cattle business of the entire country
has decreased almost forty per cent in
the last ten years and population has
increased over twenty-one per cent
That is why big cattle and beef steaks
are so high in price today. 1t is q
question of supply and demand. There
are only two ways Of avoiding high
priced beef in the future. One, is tt
quit eating beef, something we are
not likely to do and the other is tc
produce more beef cattle. Through
the use of the silo and the production
Of alfalfa Iowa farmers can produce
beef at handsome profit This has
been amply demonstrated. Animals
will be marketed at an earlier age. II
will mean more intensified farming
1t will mean building up the fertility
of our soil and more permanent agri
culture; thus a better and more pros
porous Iowa"
/ A