The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1921-02-04

assumed leadership in a national way
for the farmers of America. This has
not been done at the expense or to
the detriment Of ohter organiza-
tons already in the field Rather
there have been cooperation and
friendship between the Farm Bureau
officials and leaders of the old nation
al organizations,
But perhaps the most important
thing accomplished by the American
federation has been the building up of
its membership. There is a total of
one million five hundred thousand
paid up members. There are now
thirty-four states that have been adj
mitted to the federation. BY the end
Of next weeks meeting these may
have been increased to forty. BY that
time Iowa will have completed its
drive for 100000 members. Illinois
now has more than 100000 and Mich
igan, Ohio, Indiana and New York
are close behind.
Many states have followed the lead
of the Middle West and have re-or-
gained on a basis of five or ten dol
lar memberships. This has been
equally true in New England, in
section where such action was thought
impossible year ago.
This organization work and the
membership campaign have been car
ried on by the individual states rath-
er than the national federation. The
federation, however, has helped to
plan the campaign, The officers and
the executive committee have devot-
ed good share of their time to aid
ing in the work.
A comprehensive plan has been
outlined for study of the fundamen-
tails of agricultural problems on
scale never before attempted by any
organization or government agency.
and this study has been pat into the
hands of the best-equipped men in the
| land.
Three major projects have been
outlined and set under way. These
are: First, the establishment of
permanent bureau Of farm economies:
second, the appointment of a perma-
nent committee of seventeen to study
thoroughly the question of grain mar
keting; and third, permanent COM
mittee of fifteen to make a similar
study of livestock marketing
The bureau of farm economies will
be under the supervision Of the fol-
lowing committee; DR.. Eugene Dav-
export, of the University of Ilh-
nois; Senator Arthur Capper, of Kan
sas; James N. Mcbride, formerly di-
rector of the Michigan State Bureau
of Markets; Xenophon Caverno, of
Missouri; DR.. G. F. Warren, of Cor
nell University; and Henry A. Wal
lace, of Wallace's Farmer, Des
Moins, Iowa. This commission elect
ed Mr.. Mcbride as president and Mr..
Wallace as secretary.
As a first step in a solution Of
the grain marketing question, Presi-
dent Howard appointed the commit
tee of seventeen, representing all in
teresting organizations, to work out
some system whereby the farmer
might market his product through
his own organizations.
The committee was selected from
among names submitted by the vari-
Gus form organizations.
This committee of seventeen held
its first meeting at Chicago in De-
tober and divided its work into five
main divisions, each to be in charge
of a subcommittee; Cooperative
marketing methods, costs of market
ing, storage and transportation, con-
sumption and export, finance.
The question of marketing of live
stock looms as large in the mind of
the farmer as does that of grain
marketing. A permanent committee
of fifteen, not announced as this is
written, composed Of representatives
Of the various livestock organiza-
tons, will investigate livestock mar
keting.
OF more practical and immedi-
ate nature was the action taken at
the October meeting Of the executive
committee to organize a national wool
pool. A committee headed by J. F.
Walker, had already been appointed
to consider the matter. II was found
that by September nearly 10000. 900
pounds Of wool had been pooled in
fourteen states. A central selling
agency will be created to handle these
pools on a nation Wholesale.
Three other steps of wide impor-
lance have also been determined up
on. One of these is to institute a trif-
&c and transportation department. A
second is ocreate department Of