Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1916-08-31
ILLINOIS FARMERS
HOLD PICNIC
Annual Affair Celebrated at
Weese Hall Saturday.
400 Attend.
". ]. ORR PRINCIPAL SPEAKER
Discussed Bean Raising i'm COun-
ty at the Afternoon
Meeting.

Despite all efforts of the weather
man to put the damper on the an
nual Illinois picnic last Saturday Over
400 loyal sons of the prairie state gath
cred in Weese hall for the big feast
of the year. For six years the Hi.
nois people have celebrated with pic.
mic, announced TO be held in Wright
park, and just as regular as the clock
the weather man has gotten busy for
this particular occasion and ordered
showers and actually got them every
time But the rain had no effect other
than to crowd the joyful company into
Weese hall, and for part of the morn
ing and all the afternoon Gratiot
county's adopted sons and daughters
talked about Illinois and sang Illinois
to their hearts content.
At noon the dinner, which was an
nounced to be a basket affair, was
spread on two long tables down the
middle of the hall and for two hours
and half relay upon relay was ush-
cred into the banquet hall until every
last youngster had his fill.
w. j. Orr, president of the Michigan
Bean Jobbers association, was the
principal speaker on the afternoon
program taking as his general theme
the raising of beans and some of the
new ideas that are being brought
forward to increase the crop. Mr.. Orr
is one of the leading authorities on
bean raising in the state and gave the
Illinois people many valuable 'sug-
gestions.
Others who participated in the pro
gram were: Miss Elnore Putnam,
Lyle Besore, Miss Ruth Palmer, Miss
Ruth White and II. c. Moore. The
program was in charge of c. +. Hahn
line, president of the Illinois associa-
ton.
There are now located in Gratiot
county alone somewhere in the vicinity
of 500 people, who have migrated to
thH county during the past eight
years. This number represents about
$50 families holding farm property
and conducting farms in the county.
AT the picnic Saturday on every hand
nothing was heard but praise for the
county and the crops that would be
harvested this year. Many referen-
ces were made to the old state during
the conversation of the celebrators,
but seldom did anyone indicate that
he was anxious to get back to the corn
belt of Illinois.
The Illinois farmers are satisfied
with Gratiot county because they are
doing just as we'll here as back in the
old state and further than that the
prospects for the future are consid-
erably more tempting than could be
e> pected from the farm lands of the
sister state. The crops this season
somewhat hampered in their
early growth by weather conditions |
give promise of attractive results. |
The wheat, corn, oats, sugar beets, |
beans, hay, etc, etc, equal any crops /
that the county has ever produced, |
average as high as any county in the
state and surpass the majority.
Real estate firms in the county state
that while they have a big business in
farm transferring that very few in
stances have occurred where Illinois
farmers have been ready to give up
heir lands, which they bought when
hey first arrived in the county unless
I was to secure other lands that were
n better locality and had better
record for producing. The Illinois
'armer seems to understand what the
soil con do here in Gratiot. Whether
I is due to his previous training in
me of the best farming states in the
Union or not, the farmer who comes
rom Illinois in the majority Of cases
produce better results than
ocal people.
In the matter of price, Gratiot farm
ands are not exorbitant. The lands
in Illinois which were left
O come to Michigan, brought enor-
nous prices and hardly produced more
II made the farmer any more wealthy
han lands in this county. Gratiot
ounty still has land that real estate
nen are anxious to give over TO the
ight parties, who want to make
change for the better the same as
hose people who celebrated at the big
illinois picnic last Saturday.