Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-11-04
COUNTY COURT WILL
NOT SUPPLY SALARY
OF IAGR|CULTURAL|ST
Commercial Club Seeks Raise
But Farmers Of County
Opposed To 1t

Believing that the present is poor
time to raise salaries the county court
has refused to donate 5000 to be applied
to the salary of the county agriculturist
as recommended by the Salem CONNER
cial club. The Commercial club sent a
delegation over to the meeting of the
county court yesterday afternoon and
the grange and other farmers organ
izations also had delegations present
The Commercial club was strongly in
favor of retaining the county agricul
turist to teach the farmers how to farm
and to raise his salary 1900 year but
the farmers present were strongly Op-
posed to the luxury of county agrieul-
turist.
With one exception some two dozen
farmers representing the various COM
munities of the county all spoke in op-
position to the plan to employ a county
agriculturist. They stated that they
did not need a man to teach them to
farm as they knew their soil and knew
what crops it would raise, learning from
the hard school of experience. They
said city farmers might find use Tor
an expert but the man who rolled up
his sleeves and salivated on his palms
knew from experience how to get the
best results.
One farmer related the facts relative
to his clover field. He said he was CO.
ing to put in so acres of clover when
the county agriculturist happened along
and told him how to grow his clover.
The farmer who had lived on the place
for years declined to accept Mr.. Chap
IN s advice but went ahead and sowed
his clover according to his experience
of the past A neighbor across the fsnce,
however, was going to put in 20 acres
of clover and sought the advice of the
county agriculturist who told him how
to get the best results The farmer
followed the advice given and the Glow
er was a failure. When the next spring
rolled around the so acre patch was the
best in that section of the country and
photographs were made of the field to
show how clover would grow waist high
in Marion county. The 20 'acres over
the fence appeared to be field of sum,
mer fallow and no photographs we're
made of the results of the scientific
process of raising clover
County Judge Bushey said today
that the agitation for raising corn in
this county was the result of an at.
tempt to grow cheaper feed for stock
now that wheat had gone skyward. If
wheat were of an average price the
farmers would feed il to their hogs but
they cannot fattent hogs at a profit
on dollar bushel wheat. Farmers who
came to Marion county from the middle
west 40 years ago raised corn in this
county and know what it will do. 1.
they have long dry summer like tn.
present one, it will ripen but if the fall
rains set in early after late spring the
corn will not even turn yellow until
it has nodded in the field unless it is
cut and dried by artificial means.
There is law in this state whereby
the state will contribute an amount
equal to that contributed by the county
for the employment of county agricul-
turist up to the amount of $500 per
year. This county has always con.
tributed 81, 200 annually for the employ
ment of county fruit inspector. Last
year the county labeled the 1890 set
aside for this purpose as for "Fruit in
spector and county agriculturist. " The
state then contributed like amount
and the county agriculturist received
the $1,000 from the state fund. This
year the Commercial club asked tha'
the county court raise the amount for
"county fruit inspector and county ag-
riculturist" to $500 which would
cause the state to contribute like
amount and would allow $1,000 to be
paid to the fruit inspector and the
other $4,000 to the county agrieultur-
ist
The county court refused to add on
5000 because of the strong opposition
of the oranges and other farmers org.
anizations to paying out county funds
for a man to sit on the fence and tell
them how to run their farms.
1.-THE strange thing about this agri-
culturist business, said Judge Bushey
today, "is the fact that the Commercial
club is about the only organization in
favor of hiring one. They want to hire
one for the farmers but the farmers
don't consider that they need such a
man. Now il is a question whether the
Commercial club knows what the farm.
ers need better than the farmers them.
selves and l am inclined to believe that
the men who are the closest to the soil
know about what they want"