The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1914-11-05
Farm Congress Touches All Angles Of
Farm Life
BY Douglas Malcolm OF international Har
vester Company OF America.

vester Company OF America.
Asa bright contrast to the devas-
tated fields and unharvested crops Of
our unfortunate kinfolk across the
Atlantic, the wireless message from
President Wilson which set in motion
the 9th Annual International Dry Farm
ing Congress at Wichita presented a
silent tribute to the national reliance
upon the American farmer, rather than
upon the American force OF arms
Within three days alter the receipt oi
his message, over 10000 Americans
fred with zeal Tor conquest we're
mobilized within the exposition grounds
and during the period from October
7th to 18th, nearly three times that
many visited what is considered the
largest and most varied examples OF
soil conquest which the United states
ever assembled together.
Accompanying this congress from
October 18th to the 18th was the
annual meeting Of the International
Congress OF farm women-an organiz-
alton which some day will be as Tor
midable a factor in the life OF the
average farm women in her campaign
for better homes, as the votes Tor
women organizations are in the lie Of
her metropolitan sister. To one who
has not followed the progress OF this
dry farming movement since the first
meetings we're held nine years ago,
the eagerness with which thousands Of
farmers from all over the world reach
out after its teachings is astonishing.
Years ago it outgrew the word dry
so that now, although moisture con-
servation is the keynote OF inception
it is more Of better" farming con-
gress. Every phase of rural achieve
ment from raising short horns TO an
address by Mrs. Ebert Hubbard on
THE Farm Beautiful was not only
discussed, but constructively outlined.
Perhaps no part Of its work however
had a more penetrating lesson Tor the
general u. S. farmer from Florida to
Oregon than the lectures by DR.. I. N
Carver, head Of the Rural Organization
OF the u. S. Department OF Agricul-
ture, and Prof. OF Economies at Harv
ard University on the subject Of Mar
keting and Rural Credit" All oul
improved methods will be Of small value
if some one other than the iarmer gets
the results, mentioned Prof. Carver.
'Since the capital is coming to play
such an important role in agriculture,
the cost Of credit is coming to be an
important factor in the cost Of growing
crops. This again, effects agricultur
al expansion precisely as does TIT
price OF farm products. That is tc
say, poor credit facilities and higf
interest rate will depress agriculture
production as surely as a fall in th'
price Of farm products.
How can farmer possibly ge
credit on easy terms unless he ha
good basis for credit This ques
ton is asked more frequently than an,
other by skeptics on the subject o
rural credit? OF course, there is onl
one answer: He can not. But it
too often assumed by people VIII
pride themselves on their hard head
edness, and who fail to distinguis
between hardness and impeneuability
that the only good basis for credit
property or collateral. Real fnancier
have always seen deeper than this, bu
many OF the rank and file Of those wh
deal in securities, credit, and collatel
al, are not fnanciers OF any kind, eitht
great or small, though they imagin
that they are. They are sometime
unable to see beyond the things whic
clutter their desks and fiji the
pigeon holes. To such men, tn
suggestion that character may be
satisfactory basis Tor credit doubtle
seems rather humorous"
Along almost similar lines Dr.. Z
Dana Durand, iormer director OF Il
Census Bureau, but now Professor
Economics at the University Of Mi
nesota, warned the country Of Il
dangers which careless farming we
making eminent.
Because the population in tn
country tends to oveuun the food SD
ply, it means an everlasting hustlil
il we get food enough" stated 4
the former Census head.
I'VE have had no reason to wor
ahont the population outstrippil