The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-10-18

The Legislative Committee of the
| Missouri Farmers Assn will in al
probability ask the next Legislature
to enact stringent dog law for the
protection of the sheep industry and
thus put Missouri in line with all the
other sheep producing States in the
Union. 1t is not the intention of the
Missouri Farmers Assn to extermi
nate dogs. On the contrary, all it de.
sires to do is to place a tax of posi-.
bly, 81 to $3.50 on male dogs and per.
haps S. on females and by this means
drive the worthless ours out of exist
ence. 1t is believed that the owner
of valuable dog will not object tc
the payment of such a fee and that
therefore the Association will receive
cooperation rather than opposition
from all true dog lovers. During the
last year the U. S. Dept, of Agricul-
ture madd searching investigation
Of the dog question as it affects the
production of sheep and in hundreds
of instances farmers replied that their
losses from prowling dogs were SO
heavy that they were compelled to
dispose of their remainder of their
| focks. The prowling dog is also re-
sponsible for much of the spread of
hog cholera. On the other hand, it is
realized that in some communities in
| Missouri dogs have helped to exter-
inmate wolves-and such dogs are of
course entitled to protection just as
much as that the worthless, prowling
cur should be put out of business. The
cej,, ,, 30
collect a lot of first hand information
on this question and farmers who have
lost sheep because of dogs or who have
definite opinions on this matter should
address the ASSN at Columbia, Mo.
For a Pure Seed Law
The Missouri Farmers Assn will
ask the next Legislature to enact a
rigid Pure Seed Law for the protee-
ton of Missouri farmers. For years
Missouri has been dumping ground
for the crooked seed houses in this and
surrounding States and our farmers
have paid hundreds of thousands of
dollars for seed which was worse than
worthless. Such States as Illinois, In
diana, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska
have had pure seed laws for years
and hence these crooked seed concerns
sell their good seeds in these States
and dump the bad stuff over into Mis-
souri, where there is no law to call
them to account. In the last several
Legislatures, Sam M. Jordan, the fam
Gus Charlton county Farm Agent
made a strenuous effort to put these
seed hogs" out of business-but a
strong and daring lobby has always
frustrated his plans and thus the pure
! seed bills never got further than the
introduction stage.
But the Missouri Farmers Assn
represents 10000 of the best and
brightest farmers in Missouri and its
Board Of Directors have "blood in
their eye" on this question. An "air
tight" bill will be introduced the mo-
ment the Legislature convenes-and
woe to the Legislator who doesn't
''come clean" on it or who tries any
dark lantern" methods while it is
making the journey through the Com.
mittees. In the meantime the Assn
is anxious to collect as much direct
information as possible from farmers
who have gotten "stung" on bad seeo
during the last two or three years and
| such farmers are asked to write to the
Missouri Farmers Assn, Columbia
Mo.
Building Farmers Elevators
Under the auspices of the Missouri
Farmers Assn a great many Farm.
ers' Elevators will be built in this
State during the comingyear. In this
respect Missouri is far behind such
States as Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Ne,
braska, Minnesota and the Dakotas
where for the last Is or 20 years the
Farmers Cooperative Grain Com.
panies have handled the lions share
+, of the grain. During the recent sum-
mer many of the farm clubs which
are federated together under the Mis-
souri, Farmers Association shipped
| hundreds Of carloads of wheat and
oats and in many instances realized
10c per 'bushel more than the price
paid by the local grain dealers. While
the above mentioned States have out
distanced Missouri in the building of
elevators, the plans of the Missouri
Farmers Assn are, however, much
more complete in this respect than
any others heretofore employed. In
stead of abandoning the farmers of
each community to work out this prob
lem as best they can, the Association
has employed an expert elevator Or
ganizer from Iowa who will soon be on
the job and who will be in position to
give farmers much technical advice
which will enable them to steer clear
of the mistakes which would other
wise be made. Also it will supply free
architects plans which will save the
customary 5 per cent on this score
Then, through the employment of an
expert building supervisor it will avoid
letting the work of construction to
contractors-and this will mean an.
other big saving. Also it supplies
elevator machinery, scales, books
desks, safes, ETC., at the wholesale cost
and altogether it is safe to say that
an elevator can be constructed fol-
from $2500 to $4,000 less under the su
pervision of the Association than il
attempted by group of farmers by
themselves.
All the Missouri Farmers Asst
asks in return for its cooperation is
| thot Of laoc On nav oapf If Tho far,,.