Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-03-24
LOCAL FARMERS TO
MATURE FIELD CORN
ACCEPT "FARMER" SMITHS
FREE SEED OFFER - BIG
MEETING SATURDAY.

direct result of the visit to this city
last Friday and Saturday of c. l..
c'Farmer") Smith, agriculturist of
the Union Pacific system, and his
son, Lou s. Smith, who inaugurated
in this city tour of Southwest
Washington which will end in Tenino
April 8. This is a larger number
than responded to the offer of the
Northern Pacific experts during their
recent visit and indicates a growing
interest among farmers in the pro-
duction here of this crop.
Those 40 acres will be planted BY
the 80 farmers who accepted the
railroads offer to furnish enough
free seed Of one variety to plant one
acre Of ground. Some farmers took
a sack of one variety, either Yellow
Dent or White Flint, a few took
sack of each, and as the result of the
enthusiasm and interest of the farm
ers, Smith distributed more than 200
pounds of seed corn-all he had with
him and far more than he expected
to distribute, far more than usually
distributed in one locality-during
his stay in this city, to be cultivated
according to his instructions and to
be matured. not merely developed to
the ensilage stage.
Seed for Schools, Too.
AS the result of the free distribu-
ton of seed corn here by the two
railroad systems. from Is to 100
acres of corn that will mature in this
climate will be grown in the county
this year. Supplementing this, the
Union Pacific system, at the request
Of County Superintendent o. C. Goss.
will supply him with enough seed to
plant 10 acres more, according to an
announcement made this week by T.
I. McGrath, the local agent. This
seed will be distributed to the va
rious schools of the county for the
use of those pupils who enter the an
nual agricultural and industrial con-
test.
The big dairy meeting at the Cham
ber Of Commerce last Saturday, when
talks were made by Farmer Smith,
o, e. Gibson and J. ]. Lashbrook Of
the federal department of agricul-
ture, L. r. Campbell. president of the
Thurston County Dairymen's associa-
tion, and others, was attended by
more than 100 farmers and was re-
ported by many Of them afterwards
to have been the most enthusiastic
gathering of farmers for many
months. .
Friday afternoon Farmer" Smith
talked to the high school students,
emphasizing particularly the value of
pig clubs, and that evening he gave
a "straight-from-the-sh talk
to so or so local business men. in
which he suggested that they arrange
a big picnic for the farmers this sum-
mer and then, as he put it, "go out
tn re and mix around and show the
farmer you really do want to get
close to him."
Feed Pigs, Not Hogs"
He declared the city vitality inter-
ested in the development Of the coun-
try; said farmers should adopt a sys-
tenn Of cost accounting in farm pro-
duction as good business policy; as
serted that most farmers had more
livestock on their farms than they
could feed and care for properly,
adding that most of them never
thought about feed until they were
out of it; and in talking about hog
raising said, "Every week that the
age of a hog is increased, the amount
of food necessary to produce pound
of weight is increased, and after they
pass the 200-pound mark no man
ever made a profit feeding. They
should be sold before they weigh 200
pounds. Feed pigs, not hogs"
During his talk at the dairy meet
Ing Saturday he said that two-thirds
of the cows in the county were not
paying their board, and when some
one questioned the statement he Of
fered to bet he was right. He urged
the production of corn as the best
livestock food, declared that no farm
er should have more livestock than
he could raise feed for. and urged
every farmer to arrange now to grow
enough feed on his own farm to
carry his stock through the winter.
Buying feed for that purpose he char
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