The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-02-25
BALL AT WORK
r. IN Minnesota
Would Organize Northeast.
ern Minnesota and Include
Eight Counties in Plan.

Bert Ball, the representative of the
council of grain exchanges who re-
Gently gave a talk before the Com
mercial club of this city on the sub
ject of crop Improvement is now at
work in Northern Minnesota. The
Duluth Herald of yesterday tells of
a contemplated organization of sew
eral counties as follows:
A Northeastern Minnesota agricul-
tural district OF eight counties. each
county with a trained secretary and q
supervisor over all, Is the end to
which Bert Ball of Chicago, secretary
of the crop Improvement committee
Of the National Council of Grain Elk
changes, would have business men of
this district work.
The counties included in the plan
are Cook, Lake. st. Louis, KOochich-
ing, ~Itasca, Carlton, Aitkin and Grow
Wing. st. Louis county already has
organized agricultural work, Carlton
is preparing to start on similar lines
and Lake has considered the matter
carefully. If the bill allowing coun-
ty aid. now before the state legisla-
ture, should become u law the organ
ization of the district would be made
easy.
II believe every county should have
a county agricultural commercial club,
that will make possible the greatest
returns from agricultural production
said MI. Ball. I'VE must apply or.
binary business methods to agricul-
ture. We can get the production; we
need a stable market and wide oper
channels to it. We want rules tina,
will bind seller and buyer and insure
a square deal for each. We want ev.
cry man to play his cards, and nc
slipping of cards from the bottom OF
tho deck.
The business man, with his G
perience l n business. must pay some
attention to agriculture. The farm
bureau of each county should include
not only the farmers, but the bust.
ness men who know the business
methods that should be employed fol
getting produce to market quickly
and obtaining a fair return on it tc
the farmer. We don't want any stuff
thrown away to hold up prices. the
farmer being told that it arrived ir
bad condition. On the part of the
farmers we want the best possible
stuff their land can produce"
A district organization of seven.
teen counties has been formed in Yves,
Central Minnesota. Northeastern anl
Northwestern Minnesota will be or.
sanized next, and Southeastern ant
Central Minnesota will then be- or.
ganized. SO that the state will DO di.
vtded into five districts.
Mr.. Ball has charge of the distribu.
ton of a $1,000, 900 fund, to be award.
ed in amounts of $1,000 each to coun.
ties organizing for systematic agricul.
tural work. st. Louis county drew
check No. / from the fund. Mr.. Bal
has sent out thirty checks for 81, zoo
each, .1O2 counties in all have quail.
fled and about 100 more are now or.
ganizing.
II am exercising rare in sending
out the money!" said Mr.. Ball. Il
want the right kind of organization
IN every county that benefits from the
fund. The local people must take in.
terest. They must have an organiza.
ton intended to benefit the farmer
and must fight shy of politics and
doubtful alliances. We want to dc
this work right, and if the people
most interested give us the right kind
of aid. We will get the best kind OF
results"