The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-11-13
FINANCE AND FARMING
Excellent Results Follow the Interest
Taken In and Aid Given by Bank
ers to Agriculturists

Three years ago the American
Bankers Association established an
agricultural bureau with commits
sion Of seven bankers to run it, the
chairman being B. F. Harris of the
First National Bank of Champaign,
Ill. Mr.. Harris remained at the head
of this commission until the recent
meeting of the association at Kansas
City when Joseph Hirsch of the
Corpus Christi National Bank of
Corpus Christi, Texas, took his place.
Mr.. Harris established a paper
published at the expense Of the Ann
erican Bankers Association and called
/ it the Banker Farmer. 1t is published
monthly and each issue is filled with
matter, not only interesting, but very
instructive to both bankers and farm
ers. It is so general in it's scope that
no man in either of these lines of bus
mess can fail to find helpful reading
in it. Three of the more prominent
efforts of this paper have been:
1st. To establish active commit
tees on agriculture in state bankers
associations and forty-five states now
have them.
End. To impress upon county COM
missioners everywhere the import
ance of having county demonstra-
ton agent and showing how part of
the expense is borne by the United
States under the Smith-Lever act.
3nd. To show the necessity of pro-
lvid;ng more conveniences for farmers
wives and the betterment of country
schools.
These are not the only lines of
work undertaken but are some of the
more prominent. In order to show in
part the appreciation of this work, /
quote from statistics furnished by the
United States department of agricul-
ture to the new chairman of the ag-
ricultural commission of the Ameri-
can Bankers Association at its recent
meeting in Kansas City:
SIN 1915 over 10000 southern farm
ers, employing demonstration meth
tods on 218,000 acres, produced an
average yield of 1,180 pounds of seed
cotton per acre and $4,000 farmers
employing demonstration methods on
100000 acres, produced an average
Iyield of 37.7 bushels of seed corn per
acre. Figuring lint cotton at ten cents
the pound and corn at Is cents the
lbushel the cotton demonstrations
show an increased value of approxf-
mately $4,000,000, and the corn ex-
Iperiments an increased value of ap-
alproximately s7,000,00 over the av-
lerage products of cotton and corn on
lequal acreages. Demonstrations in
loats, wheat, rye, barley and other
staples, show equally amazing re
suits
It is well for farmers and bankers
too, to remember that if the county
Iagents in one section of the South
have added ST., 900 to the value of cot
ton and corn alone, that activities by
these same agents, in other lines ane
lin other parts of the United States
must run into fabulous sums.
To bring the value of the county
, agent nearer home, ! may state thai
! the Marion county banks could mo-
} have undertaken the pig club work re
, Gently done so successfully, withouf
the assistance of Mr.. Blackjack. Thi:
modest undertaking has put into Mar
, ion county 48 registered Hampshir,
) sows which have already farrowet
} more than 100 pigs and the count.
viii have, in less than 30 days, NOR,
, than 300 hogs eligible for registra
: ton.
The members of the agriculture
committee for the Florida Banker
t Association held meeting in Ocal
last week and, while its Iabors cover