Evening star., 1941-01-12
Farmers Club Starts
18th Year by Not
Criticizing lis Host
But Enterprise Group
Has Its Traditional Poll
And Round Table


The 895th meeting of the Enter.
prise Farmers Club of Sandy Spring
Md, was held yesterday at the
home of p. Garland Lyon to start
its 18TH anniversary year. but be-
cause of the celebration the clut
dispensed with the customary after
noon of critici2ing the hosts farm
equipment, buildings and ability as
q farmer.
In accordance with tradition
though was the dinner and the
round table of questions which fol-
lowed, on which a vote was taken
to indicate the consensus on farm
problems of the day.
If there was less criticism OF
Mr.. Ligon's farm yesterday than OF
some of the farms visited back in
1865, when the Enterprise Club was
formed "one afternoon at O'Clock
on the 30th day of December at
the home of Benjamin H. Miller,
to quote the minutes, 1t was be-
cause of the University OF Mary
land Agricultural College, the Agri-
culture Department and organiza-
tons like the Enterprise Club.
U. S. Uses Its Old Records.
Like its elder brother, the Sandy
Spring Farmers Club, which had
been in existence for more than 20
years when the Enterprise was
started, the Enterprise group was
formed by farmers in the commu-
nitv who wanted to improve their
crops and stock by discussing their
problems among themselves. The
minutes of their meetings reflect
prices, crop conditions and farm
methods so accurately that the
Agriculture Department has bor-
rowed the minute books to amphty
its own records, T. Lamar Jackson,
president, explained to the club
yesterday.
The procedure was simply for some
member to put a question he wanted
answered and the other members
gave their opinions, based upon
actual experience or reliable hearSay.
The answer as to what was the
proper wage to pay a farm hand as
recorded at one of the early meet
ings briefly was $3.50 a month,
the same as last year"
The proper price to pay for hire
of a four horse team in 1866 split the
club into three groups. six favorlng
SIS a day, four favoring $3.50 day
and the other six present, Sc day.
The answer to the query. when an
icehouse is half full should sawdust
be spread over the ice until the next
cutting?" was a laconic yes"
Lightning Rods Win, IL to 6.
There must have been some doubt
as to whether it was advisable to
install lightning rods as late as 1876.
The question disclosed a sharp di-
vergence, but the ayes carried the
day with IL votes to 6.
When a question stumped even
the entire club it was frankly re-
corded, as in the problem of what
to do about toads roofing up rose
slips in an old hotbed. mo eX-
perience on this subject was the
answer.
At times the minutes record de-
liberate ambiguity, for example, the
occasion when member asked how
much to feed pigs for the best re-
suits. Give them enough" was the
answer.
While most of the minute books
were at the Agriculture
being copied. Samuel p
Thomas, secretary. read excerpts for
the anniversary observance show
ing progress down to the present
day.
The minutes of the meeting of
September, 1908. are the first to
mention the attendance of a men,
ber in horseless carriage" he said.
1T was Tarlton B. Stabler in a
tWo-cylinder Northern"
Baseball Spectators Raped.
The minutes of April 10, 1918, re-
cord the opinion of one member on
the then current high cost of liv-
ing, he said. The record shows
criticism of so many persons at
tending baseball games and in so do
ing producing nothing of value, the
fascination of city life and the au-
tomobile craze. In October, 1914. a
letter was received from Secretary
of State Bryan expressing his re-
gret at his inability to attend a
meeting owing to the pressure of
his work.
The first record of a tractor for
farm purposes was found. in the
minutes of the November, 1916,
meeting, and in December. of the
same year a record is found of
cross-country trip taken by Mr.
Jackson on which he averaged 80
miles an hour going to Cleveland
but ran into one snowstorm after
another on the return trip After
plowing and digging his way through
hugs snowdrifts and mountain pass
es he finally got stuck for good at
Hardings Turn, only miles from
home.
In December. 1920, the club
named a committee to establish a
fire department., which succeeded
after three years of effort in Or
ganizing the department which still
is functioning.
Many residents of the Sandy
Spring neighborhood were invited
yesterday to attend the dinner by
the club members Nearly so at
tended. One member said Mr.. Ii
CONS farm was one of the model
stock farms of the county and "it
would be difficult to find anything
to criticize" anyway.