Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-26
FARM IMPROVEMENT ASSOclA.
TIoN ORGANIZED, WITH R.
HOWARD PRESIDENT.
THREE HUNDRED FARMER
MEMBERS ARE GUARANTEED
Eleven Townships Report Total Of pa
Sgners at S. Per Year-Commttee
Is Chosen From Directors to Look
For rshaItown Club Of
fers to Cooperate.

county agent will be employed for
Marshall county. The Farm Improve
ment Association of Marshall County
was organized, with that as its OBJ
iect, in the east court room Saturday
afternoon, when officers and directors
were elected and a committee was ap-
pointed from the board to look for q
suitable agent. The meeting was at
tended by about 100 farmers who have
been interested in the temporary or
ganization.
Miss Tura Hawk, assistant county,
agent of Blackhawk county. in charge
of the work for women. and r. X. Bliss.
director OF the farm extension work of
Iowa State College, spoke.
J. r. Howard President.
]. +. Howard. Of Liberty township.
who has been very active in the tenn
porary organization. was elected presi-
dent. Charles {. Paul Of Laurel. was
chosen vice president: Merritt Greene.
Jr- OF this city. VS. elected secretary:
and y @ Ne1-- G. LeC3rand. treasurer
tt eleven directors named We're:
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Sc desired
Guarantee 800 sisners.
With eleven townships reporting, and
seven not heard from. il was shown
that 234 farmers had subscribed TO
membership at IS a year for three
wears. 1t was desired TO secure 500
farmers before any effort was made TO
get members in this city and other
towns of the county. The deficiency !
was guaranteed by Merritt Greene, Jr-.
offering to secure fifteen more sisners
If six others would guarantee to get
ten each. The six were quickly found !
in the audience.
ARRANGEMENTS We're made for n com
mittee to take up the plan with the
Marshalltown Club, which has already
promised to Cooperate in the move
ment. The Club has offered to furnish
the county agent free office room in
the clubs quarters and has offered the
use of the basement for whatever pur-
poses the county agent might want to
use it for farmers work.
Will Look For Agent.
The directors appointed a committee
consisting Of J. r. Howard, c. f. Arney
and Merritt Greene, Jr, to get in touch
with candidates for county agent. One
or two applications have already been
made With the cooperation Of j. r
Coverdale, of Ames, state superitend-
ent county agents, the committee Will
make an effort to get a suitable man TO
present to the board of directors at
meeting to be held at $50 SATURDAY,
March 10, in the east court room. At
that time it is proba ble that county
agent will be employed. In the interval
it is expected that 300 or more farmer
subscribers will have been secured and
that the fund available for the work
will be greatly increased by subscrip
tions and donations in this city and the
county towns.
1t was not determined by the board
& what salary would DE paid the agent.
Bliss suggested that the association
would probably have to pay some
where from $500 to $4,000 a year. and
that it should have 81 900 to $500 more
Il year for a working fund. For sal
AIRY of $500 he said an experienced
man could be secured.
Work in BIac khawk County
Blackhawk county has had q county
agent for five years. and an assistant,
Miss Hawk, for more than year. Miss
Hawk told of some of the work Mr..
Berger, the agent Of that county. had
done since he had been employed. OF
great importance was the successful ef-
fort to fix a standard variety Of corn
that was best adapted to the peculiar
soil conditions of Blackhawk county.
Out of this effort was produced what
is known as Blackhawks County Reds
corn, yellow variety, that was chosen
pfter a series of many tests of more
than 300 samples.
The seed corn situation in the county
last spring was saved by Berger when
it became evident that a great deal of
the SEED corn grown IN the county was
bad. He bought for the farmers a
large quantity Of corn, and after test
ing it all. sold to the farmers all that
tested 95 per cent strong. The sale
money more than paid for the corn. In
addition he tested hundreds of samples
of corn for farmers who thought their
own seed was good.
The Standardization Of a variety of
oats, adapted to the county. has been
successful. A successful effort was made
to establish markets and to market
Blackhawk county products under a
special label. A great deal of the prod
ucts of Blackhawk county are now
marketed under a uniform label. Much
progress has been made in growing al
falfa, especially in the farms of sandy
v soil the river valleys.
r. K. Bliss made the very pointed
suggestion that if there ever was
time when farmers ought to raise big
crops is was in the next two years.