Omaha daily bee., 1912-10-20


in this state than any company in the world
1t has grown from small beginn ngs to a COM
manding place among the financial interests of
the state l asked the president of this COM
pany to tell me about it's investments; he said:
They all in loans on farm lands in the Mis-
souri, valley, from Sioux City down into north
ern Kansas. This is beyond question the rich
est agricultural territory in the world. In the
quarter-century that this company has been in
business it has never foreclosed q loan nor lost
a dollar in either principal or interest"
said to him, Sir, that is remarkable
record to what do you attribute it,"
ITO the undoubted value and prosperity of
this region, richer than the valley of the Nile
which offers the best security possible" was his
reply.
The phenomenal development of agriculture
in the Missouri valley has been brought about
by combination of forces-the unparalleled
fertility of the soil, the strategic position with
reference to markets and transportation and the
effective organization of the producers for
profitable production and marketing In all
these particulars Nebraska is unusually well
equipped.
At the head of this group of organized forces
for the development of the state is its splendid
educational system, with sixteen colleges and
universities reporting a tot | student body of
1O,9O7 for the year 1912, with 1,175 graduates
and SCI teachers certificates. The percentage
OF college students and graduates is much higher
than in other states of similar population. The
total school population of the state is 376,477
with over 1000 graduates from high schools
and colleges, and opportunity is afforded for
every child to receive liberal education at the
expense of the state with system of free text
books in use everywhere.
In the essential particular of agricultural
education elementary training in this branch is
now compulsory in all the common schools and
the agricultural departments of the State uni
versity and the four state normal schools offer
special facilities for practical and professional
training.
The Business Organization of Agriculture
In the purely business organization of agri-
culture and allied interests Nebraska is more
efficiently organized than any state in the union
over 25O cooperative grain and live stock ship
ping associations of farmers are Incorporated
and doing successful business at as many local
shipping stations. About 25O local farmers
institutes hold annual sessions, with frequent
intermittent meetings under direction of the
department of agricultural extension of the
State university. About seventy, farmers mu-
tual fire. tornado hail and live stock insurance
companies are doing satisfactory business
While the corporate stock of these individual
associations is not large, their total business
reaches an immense sum, and the profits re-
turned directly to the producers are large fac
tor in the prosperity of the communities inter-
ested. The total volume of farm wealth which
is behind these cooperative concerns is approx
imately half-billion dollars
The various lines of agricultural industry
are further associated for educational and busi
ness advancement in a group of twenty-five or
more state associations, among which are the
following:
Nebraska State Board of Agriculture, Asso-
citation of State, County and District Fairs; Me-
braska Corn Improvers association State uor