The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-01-30
TO THE FARMERS
OF ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY
Continued from page ~

ureuS VI JnOuSdHuS VI doiidIS we now
pay out to the Live Stock Commits
sion firms. Likewise, we expect with
in the next year to ask for seat on
the Merchants Exchange in st. Louis
so we may sell and buy grain at the
Central market-another plan which
involves savings running into the
thousands. Perhaps as interesting as
anything else however is the fact that
within the next 60 days we expect to
begin making and renewing farm
loans through our County Secretaries
and thus save all the local loan agents
bonuses and commissions for our
members. The least commission the
average loan agent charges is one
half of per cent for five years, while
many charge per cent for five years.
If they only make the former charge,
it amounts to $3.50 on $4,000 loan
or $500 if they charge the latter rate
and if you have loan coming due
in the near future, wouldn't you like
to save this margin through the Farm
Clubs and get your money at 5 1-2 per
cent net?
The foregoing is the "boiled down"
story of the Farm Clubs. There are
many other interesting features which
we cannot discuss for lack of space
but they can be had in our literature
which is free for the asking. If you
expect to be in the market for -four,
mill feed, farm seed, commercial fer
tilizer or binder Irvine you should call
up your neighbors the moment you
get through reading this article and
ask them to join you in calling an
immediate school house meeting. Then
send for literature and complete in
structions. The chances are we can
put you in touch with some farmers
nearby who belong to Farm Clubs and
who will be glad to help you get
started-for there are nearly $4,000
of them in Missouri.
Different from the Farm Bureaus
In conclusion, the farmers of st.
Francois County should not confuse
the Farm Club Movement with the
Farm Bureau which is now inaugu-
rating a powerful membership cam
paign in different parts of the State.
When the authorities of the College
of Agriculture were recently asked TO
define the purpose of the Farm Blu
reau they frankly confessed that it
was chiefly an educational agency"
which supplements the work of the
County Farm Agents-that being con-
nected with the College of Agricul-
ture and the Federal Department Of
Agriculture it cannot actively parti-
cipate with the farmer in organizing
and financing grain elevators, pro
duce exchanges, ETC., or in buying COM
modities at the wholesase price-that
these are battles which the farmer
must fight out for himself. Therefore
if the farmers Of your county want
an organization that is educational,
that will enable you to hire County
Farm Agent or that will increase crop
production, the Farm Bureau is al
rigth and the Missouri Farmers As
ISOLATION has no protest to make
against it. On the other hand, if you
want an organization that will "bring
home the bacon"-that isn't tied to
the apron strings of state or federal
institution and that will help you get
better price for your grain, live
stock, poultry products and cream
and through which you can obtain
flour, feed, farm seeds, binder Irvine,
fertilizers, coal. salt, automobile tires
and tubes at the lowest wholesale
price, then you need solid Farm Club
organization in your community at the
earliest possible moment. Also there
is this further difference between the
Farm Clubs and the Farm Bureaus.
The Farm Bureaus are now asking
an annual membership fee of So per
year for life in some counties, while
in others the annual dues are $40 q
year. On the other hand, the yearly
dues in the Farm Clubs are only $3.50
and the farmer is not asked to Sign
up for life" In other words, if, after
farmer has belonged to Farm Club
for year he doesn't feel satisfied with
his results, he is at liberty to drop
out-and the best evidence that the
Farm Clubs are delivering the goods"
is found in the fact that they are
growing at a tremendous rate. And
here again is another difference. With
the Farm Clubs, the farmers do all the
organizing-that is, when club is
organized in one school district, its
members help to organize clubs in the
adjoining districts. The Farm Bu-
reau, on the other hand, employs paid
organizers who receive $40 per day
and their expenses-and of course this
expense comes out of the farmers
pocket.
If, therefore, in view of the forego-
ing facts the farmers who chance to
read this article would like to start
the Farm Club movement in their
communities, they should Immediately
hold consultation over the telephone
or otherwise with their neighbors,
agree on a date for school house
meeting and then write for literature
and complete instructions-for there
is no time to lose in placing orders
for farm seeds, spring fertilizers, bin
der Irvine, etc. And remember this APP
peal comes to you from $4,000 of your
fellow Missouri farmers who believe
that the hour has arrived when the
farmer should compel Square DEAF
in the market-when he should have
something to say about what he shall
receive for the fruits of his sweat and
toil--when he should no longer meek
ly pay the other fellows price for the
things he buys and accept the other
foIlou,,S ,,r;ca FIR tho prndIcte of hic