The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-04-16

At a we'll attended meeting of farm
ers. business men and bankers of Clay
county last evening. amid the best of
feeling, it was enthusiastically decided
to organize a Better Farming associa-
ton Of Clay county, and that it be af-
fliated with the West Central Devel-
opment association, the headquarters
Of which are at Wheaton, Mimi, and
in which there are eighteen counties
affiliated, this county making the
Nineteenth.
A board of seven directors, the
James Of whom are given at the head
of this report of the meeting, was
elected and they were empowered to
proceed to perfect the Incorporation
Of the Better Farming association of
Clay county and make full report to
a general meeting to be held on a
convenient date in June which shall be
the first annual meeting.
Despite the fact that fine weather
OF the last few days has set in motion
all operations Of spring seeding and
farm work generally, there was a very
good attendance at the meetings call
ed for last night and yesterday after
noon. The attendance last night was
a surprise for in the gathering were
men who are known to be exceeding
ly busy and who must have made
special arrangements to allow their
attendance at this meeting and help
to push along what they felt was a
very important undertaking in this
county. At the meeting was a liberal
sprinkling of the business men of
Moorhead, and they included President
Mackall of the commercial club.
Last Nights Meeting.
The first OF the two speakers last
night was Thomas Cooper, secretary
of the North Dakota Better Farming
association. He gave a splendid talk
which was a terse review of the work
done in North Dakota, how it was dom
and a practical outline Of some of the
results accomplished during the past
year or two. L. A. Huntoon presided
and succeeded admirably in gingering
up things and creating an interest in
what was TO come.
Mr.. Cooper said that the better
farming idea was the last step in the
effort to help and encourage the farm
er, land take it from me, it is prov
ing a success from one end Of the
country to. the other" 1t means in
diyidual work with the farmer, get
ting nearer to him and his varied in
~terests. There are twenty-five men,
agricultural experts, now at work In
the adjoining state or the west side
Of the Red river. Over 800 farmers
| are, a III cooperative WOIk anu
haVe expressed a desire to continue in
the work this year and have planned.
accordingly. He told of the work lone
through the boys and girls in the way
Of demonstrations in the way of corn
contests. This year there has been
instituted a pork contest among the
boys and girls. Each boy and girl has
been given a SOW of certain age and
weight and the pork yield is to in
clude the production of the greatest
number of pounds Of pork at the low
est cost, within r specified period of
time. Tempting money prizes have
been arranged for n the young peo-
pie are displaying considerable en-
thusiasm. Closing Mr.. Cooper pre-
tons made to him by, individual
farmers over North Dakota and re-
suits which are actual record.
Addresses which were influential
and inspiring were made in the after
noon by Franklin w. Murphy of
Wheaton, the distinguished president
of the West Central Minnesota De-
velopment association. Mr.. Murphy
is a better farming advocate through
and through-he is a farmer and has
been successful.
He described the terms Of a bill
now before the legislature which APP
propriates SIS, 900 to be divided equal
ly DSLWe6n the 0rSL twenty-five COun-
ties which appropriate $1,000 each to
promote the better farming movement.
The speaker said that he had assur-
ance from Senator Sageng, who in
tToduced the bill in the senate that it
would become a law within a few days.
He considered this one of the best
bills ever passed by the state legisla-
ture and predicted that it would ac-
complish great things for the state.
He gave it as his opinion that the
proper way to finance this movement
was by taxation on all equally as the
land of the nonresident was bene-
flied by the work as we'll as that of
the one who lived on the land and
made it his home. 1t was shown that
1000 spread over the county would
amount to only a few cents on each
quarter section and would be no bur-
den to the owner of the land Many
practical points were brought out by
his address and the speaker was fol-
lowed closely.
A very valuable and instructive ad-
dress was also made at the afternoon
and evening meetings by Superintend-
ent Higbee of the state farming school
at Morris. Mimi. He gave facts and
illustrations which told the story of
the immense value of the better farm
ing idea to every farmer in the state
irrespective Of the size of his oper-
atoms.
NKMnNuI - EIIMnc