The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-12-25
IT WAS A Big SUCCESS


Farmers Institute HAD Big Attend
anCe and Best Showing OF Live
Stock and Farm Exhibits.
The Decatur County Farmers In
stitute and Teachers Meeting open
ed last Wednesday afternoon. The
sessions were held in Axes & Pull
Inns fine new garage building,
which was an ideal place, and the
attendance all through the four days
session was the best ever seen in De-
catur county. The farmers are. be-
ginning to realize that the Institute
is for their benefit and that they will
be benefited by attending. 1t was
by far the best attended Institute
ever held in Decatur county and the
exhibits in all lines were exception
ally good. Especially was this true
of the live stock exhibit, and it was
a great gathering of fine young stock
and there was an enormous crowd
present on Friday when the live
stock was judged. After the pre-
miums were awarded the colts,
calves and hogs made a parade or
the principal streets, and 1t was the
finest showing of young live stock
ever seen in any town in southern
Iowa. The stock was judged by an
expert, Prof. H. C. Barker, OF the
State College at Ames, and he paid
Decatur county a fine compliment
when he said that the colts under
year and the bull calves shown were
the best he had had the pleasure OF
judging this year.
The first days session opened
Wednesday afternoon when MISS
Mabel Bentley, of the State College
at Ames gave an address on Home
Economics She gave number OF
illustrations why farmers wives
should have labor saving devices in
their homes, and showed that 1T
was economy for them to have such
things in order that the homemak-
er might have more time for recrea-
tion and not spend all her time
cooking and cleaning. She said 1t
was impossible for the mother to
meet her family with a smile II her
whole time was spent in drudgery.
At the close of her address Miss
Bentley judged the butter exhibit,
and made favorable comment on the
large display and good quality or
that product. She said the butter
which she judged was exceptionally
good. there being no poor butter
among the exhibits and nearly all OF
it was of a very high grade. She
also made special mention Of the ex-
hibits of the girls, their baked
goods showing great care and skill
and they are to be congratulated
upon their efforts.
Thursday morning the boys corn.
Judging contest was held, conducted-
by Prot. Ben Walker, of Ames, as
sisted by Fred Woolley, of High
Point.
:. The poultry showing was the
largest and best ever held in Leon.
It was regretted that they could not
be scored as advertised, on account
of G. w. Reeder, the judge, being
called out of the city. The interest
shown in the poultry at this show
should be the means of inducing the
poultry raisers of Decatur county
getting together and forming an as
sociation, for poultry is one of Deca-
tur county's chief assets, and there
is no reason why they could not nave
a strong association to conduct good
poultry shows which would be
credit to Leon and Decatur county.
There were al birds on exhibition,
IA Orpingtons, Al Wyandottes, 10
Rhode Island Reds, 81 Plymouth
Rocks, 27 Leghorns, Black Minor
cas-, 4 Toulouse geese, turkeys.
The display of apples was excel
lent, and considering the poor sea-
son WIS exceptionally good, when we
consider the excessive dry hot wealth
er which we had just at the time
when apples were maturing. 1t
speaks we'll for Decatur county as a
fruit country, and we believe the
possibilities for growing apples in
Decatur county are as good as can
be found anywhere in the United
States, if they are given the atten-
ton they deserve, but our farmers as
a rule ere too much occupied in rails
ing cattle, horses, hogs and corn to
get good results in fruit growing, as
fruit trees need attention at certain
seasons just the same as other crops,
and profits in fruit growing are just
as sure GS Ill duy OlL1cl CAOpS POI hapo
a great deal better than in some OF
the much advertised communities
where growing fruit is made a spec
ialty. -a
Fred Woolley, of High Point, gave
a good talk on why the farmers OF
Decatur county should grow alfalfa,
which was interesting, and was lis
tened to with interest as many OF
our farmers are now growing this
crop W tn good success.
Prof. Ben Walker, of Ames, made
a fine talk, telling of the various
reasons why the farmers should try
and raise better crops, and at the
same time improve the fertility Of
their farms. He said our soil was
rich enough to produce abundantly
for long time, and that one of the
best farm crops was boys and girls,
and they should be kept interested
in the farm, and taught to think
that farming was the best business
to engage in. ..