Just a Sittin' And a Rockin'

HELLO FOLKS! — Worry is like a rocking chiar. It will give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere.

--o--

THERE IS no - smaller package than a man wholly wrapped up in himself.

--o--

IT LOOKS LIKE the dairy problem is almost solved. Dairy cow numbers are down 3 1/2 per cent under a year ago, and still decreasing. Production is still going up per cow which is good as it spells higher efficiency and lower cost, but the surplus has practically vanished, and within another year the government will probably be out of the surplus purchasing business as far as dairy is concerned. It has been a painful healing process and the price fixers realized that if they lost the battle for control of dairy products they might as well 'throw in the sponge.'

To top it all off the cows left are concentrated in larger herds which makes for even greater efficiency and better handling of milk. It is easier to regulate sanitation in a few large herds than in many small ones.

This all adds up for the benefit of the consumer and producer alike as it contributes to our ever increasing standard of living. The laboring man today has never had so good a buy in dairy products as he now has. The real way to figure the cost of anything is in the number of hours worked to purchase it, or for the farmer the number of hogs, bushels of grain, etc. For instance it takes only eight minutes of work to purchase a quart of milk and twenty or twenty five for a pound of butter.

--o--

WELL, ELECTION is over, as far as the primary is concerned and yours truly can get back to farming.

I want to sincerely thank those of you who voted for me and for the many kind expressions. I did not realize a campaign could be so interesting. I got to meet so many of you that I would never have met otherwise.

I congratulate the winners. As far as I know there was no mudslinging, which shows that at least some politicians are growing up. I think name calling is just a sign of emotional immaturity.

I think I must be very thick skinned, or something because I didn't feel any remorse at losing, at least not enough to lose any sleep over. Guess it wouldn't have done any good to have done so anyway.

--o--

IN RECENT years, farmers have spent about $10 billion annually for production goods and services of nonfarm origin. This according to the USDA. This is more than four times as much as they spent annually for such goods and service in 1938, Prices increased during those twenty years to account for one-half of the increase in these expenses. The biggest in-crease has been for machinery and cost reducing equipment.

We Should Teach 'Basic Economics

Hello, Folks! Christmas time came and went so fast for me I got very few greeting cards written. So to all my friends who read this, here is wishing you the best of all good things for 1955.

We had a lovely Christmas as usual. Spent Christmas Eve with the Petersen Clan. Then Christmas morning we opened the gifts from Vera's family. I came in from chores Christmas morning and the children were getting dressed, anxiously waiting to open the gifts. I noticed a Christmas tag tied to the baby. Inside it read, "To Mother and Daddy from Heavenly Father."

—o—

The scoutmaster asked the four young scouts if they had done their good deed for the day. They all nodded in unison, grinning broadly. "What did you do?" he asked. "We helped an old lady across the street." "It took all four of you to help one old lady across the street?" "Yes, she did not want to go!"

—o—

I think Albert Lea has the prettiest decorations of any town I know. Those large illuminated bells hanging over the middle of the street add the real touch to the rest of the decorations.

—o—

Farmer — "Young man, what are you doing up in my apple grass!' "
Boy —. "I'm just obeying your sign that says, 'Keep off the grass-"

—o—

It seems to me that the biggest failure of our educational system has been in not teaching our students the basic principles of economics. They are not, or need not, be complicated. There are a few basic facts that we all can and ought to learn. In fact, they must be learned if we are to have a stable economy and continuing prosperity.

Communism has capitalized on our failure to teach them. I think if we had learned these principles as part of our regular education we would be far less apt to be taken in by foreign philosophies. Too many people believe that it is possible to get something for nothing. This is a good basis for gambling, but it does not work out for the individual on the job, in the school, or anywhere else. You can't . spend more than you have and remain solvent. We just fool ourselves when we try otherwise.

You can't equalize ability by a control system, Competition is the dynamo for progress in our economic system. We should welcome it rather than stifle or try to get around it.

—o—

Mother — "Jimmy, where did you get that bump on your nose?"
Jimmy — "1 bent down to smell a brose."
Mother — "Why, there isn't a 'B' in rose."
Jimmy — "There was in this one!"

—o—

Farm Bureau insurance companies have shown a tremendous growth the past 30 years. The first one was organized in Illinois. Today Farm Bureau insurance companies have a total of $287,023,269 in assets.

On Monday, January 10, the officers of all Farm Bureau Units in the county met to work out their programs for the year. They will work out the educational, recreational, and social aspects of the Farm Bureau program.

A state training session will be held in St. Paul, January 17, 18, and 19 for County Farm Bureau presidents, secretaries or office secretaries and some of the county committee chairmen. An attendance of close to 500 is anticipated.

Headlining the "imported" instructional staff will be T. C. Petersen, midwest organization director, Kenneth lngwalson, director of leadership services, AFBF, and Herbert Alp commodities director for the AFBF.

Do You Know Interest Pay?

Hello Folks — Usually when a man gets too big for his britches his hat won't fit either.

--

As of today Freeborn can be called the county of 10,000 lakes. My, what a lot of water, I have seen more, I think it was in 1953 we had more during the summer than we have now. This kind of weather does things the politicians could never do — take care of the surplus corn. I don't think there will be much of a surplus next year.

--

How much interest do you pay out in a year? I believe that few of us know, and if we get it figured out we pay a lot more than we realize.

Credit is a wonderful thing when it is used right, but abused it can be. a mill stone and keeps many a man from getting ahead.

There are many ways of figuring interest and some of them are deceiving. One per cent per month sounds pretty reasonable but when it adds up to 12 per cent it gets mighty big. There are a good many people paying much more than that. Most of the time pay plans run around 16 per cent.

...tion it in the contract, It really makes a 'whollaper' of a lot if one gets 'bit' by such a deal.

The best thing is to stay out of debt for anything but a home or business. Then we learn to be thrifty and we are more apt to watch the purchases and see to that they are bought right.

I think it is very important to teach our children thrift and how to buy wisely. They have to learn sometime and it should help by giving them an allowance when they are too young to earn it themselves and see to it that they learn to know that before there can be a penny spent there first has to be one earned. We are all creatures of habit and by teaching the youth the value of a dollar the nation grows stronger and more financially secure.

The credit and finance system is what has aided us in getting the great standard of living that we have but the abuse of it can also be our downfall. Borrowing when money is easy to get and then having to pay it back when the dollar is scarse is a situation that none of us would envy. Let's watch it. Huh.

One day a salesman stopped in and wanted to sell his wares. Had a good product but he didn't want cash. It had to be time payments spread over two years. I insisted on figuring up what the interest rates were and they added up to a mighty 24 per cent per year. No wonder he didn't want to sell for cash. He probably could get his financing for around 6 or 7 per cent, then turn around and get about. four times that for the same money. That is what I call a raw deal. We had better all look out for our own financing lest we get taken into such a deal.

A feed salesman drove in the yard and insisted on selling some feed. He had a grand plan for the farmer, Pay when the hogs are sold.

I asked him what the interest figured out to. His answer was," Oh, just about the same as the bank charges. I took a pencil and figured it out, It came to 11 per cent. The catch was it was on about a 6 months term, The interest didn't sound like much but it counts up when you really go to adding.

Then there is the service charge. I have been told that a lending institution can add a service charge and they don't have to men...

It Tells On Him

HELLO FOLKS — A woman who has a temper she can't control usually has a husband she can.

--o--

FEW THINGS are needful to make the wise man happy, but nothing satisfies the fool.

--o--

HE CAME HOME from his first day at school.
"Ain't going tomorrow," he said.
"Why not, sonny?"
"Well I can't read, I can't write and they won't let me talk, so what's the use".

--o--

SUMMING UP the farm situation, as I see it, goes like this.

Dairying needs a good house cleaning, both from the standpoint of the dairyman and the government. Present government support prices are all to the benefit of the consumer. It gives them food cheaply. The dairy herds need cleaning up. More than half the cows are not returning the owner enough to be worth the effort. Were they to be cleaned out as fast as they start slowing up in production there would be a serious shortage of milk that would set prices soaring.

Beef finishing is in a tough spot and I don't see any hope for improvement in the near future. The consumer doesn't want his beef fat any longer. The rancher is doing a lot of his own finishing and so is the processor.

Hog raising is the brightest of all the livestock enterprises. There will be rough going there if these finishing units take the country by storm, just as did roto tubes, laying units and the like.

Poultry is on the decline in this area and likely to keep on declining.

Feed grains are in a brighter spot, as are soybeans. Now if we can just get a better program out of congress.

Overall, there is dire need for better farm economics. It is the blind spot in agriculture. Few farmers know what they are getting for an hour's work or for each operation. They would do some changing in their op-

Happiness There If You Look For It

HELLO FOLKS — Happiness is not something at the end of the rainbow or at the end of the road — it is all along the way.

There are more people who lose their jobs because they can't get along with those they work with, than because they cannot do the job.

--o--

THERE IS wide speculation about who will be the next President of the U.S. Seems that most people think the Democats have the upper hand.

My personal opinion is that the Republicans are the ones to have the first say and that if they do the right thing we will have another Republican Administration. Here is how I think it stacks up.

There are a lot of good men in both parties — men who would be good administrators in their own right. The Democrats have a machine that is well oiled and no matter who runs there the candidate will pull a lot of votes.

The Republicans on the other hand are the only unorganized group in the U.S. They have used poor publicity. There is no discipline in the party and too many of them are confused. Therefore there is no rallying point (so far). There are too many of the Republicans who are so un-Republican that they are actually a liability to the party. The hard core of the party is afraid to really come out swinging because they would be hitting their own members, in many cases.

The Republicans therefore must have not only a party man but must have a personality; one who has not had his hands too badly dirtied in the political battles and who will pull a lot of personal votes such as did President Eisenhower.

If the Republicans really want to win this election they must remember that had they not had a personality running in 1952; meaning Dwight D. Eisenhower, they would not now be in power.

That leaves them but one choice. A man who has proved his vote getting power in a Democratic year; a man with peronality, stability, and political acumen, and a man who is respected by all segments of our society — such a man is Nelson Rockefeller, Governor of New York. I believe he and he alone can win for the Repbulicans. Therefore if they are to win they must. choose him. With any other man they cannot win. Not in 196O
 
That gives them first choice. If they fumble they are out and the Democrats have the say. It would hardly seem likely that they would choose a man who could not reach the people, not again anyway.

I have been an admirer of Nelson Rockefeller for some time, He comes from one of the most stable families in the United States. The Rockefellers are a family who money has not spoiled, a family who has its sights on the real worth in life and who has the inate belief that money is something to be used for the benefit of humanity and not thrown away in selfish squandering.

I have studied some of the Rockefeller reports on the various phases of our economy and I find them devoid of prejudices, broad minded and respectful of all peoples.

On top of this I think Nelson Rockefeller is the one man who would have the prestige to bring the nation's economy into balance without sacrificing political integrity or alienating or irritating some segments of our society.

He has proved his ability to legislate wisely, handle politicians am; do it all efficiently.

Our Influence On Our Children

HELLO FOLKS —
Sons and daughters—in their teens Think their parents—don't know beans.
Which would not be—hard to face
Were it not—so oft the case.

--o--

PARENTS AND people in general wonder what the coming generation is going to amount to.

It is becoming increasingly clear, to anyone who observes, that we are literally creatures of habit. To often we overlook the maxims 'like father like son' or 'like mother like daughter' when we might add, 'only more so.' For the most part our children grow up to be just what we teach them to be; and that teaching happens to be more by example than anything.

Republican parents genera11y have Republican children. Democratic parents generally have democratic children. Roman Catholic parents have Roman Catholic children. Protestant parents generally have Protestant children.

But whether they have good Republican, Democratic, Roman Catholic or Protestant children is another matter.

There are enough proofs given to show that strong tendencies can be built into children by strong parents and weak tendencies can be built into children by weak parents.

Man by nature tends to degenerate. We have to counter this by being continually on guard against our weaknesses — to bestir ourselves when we find weak tendencies in ourselves or our children.

The parent who realizes that he should do this or that or correct this or that in his son or daughter and fails to do so does not only himself and his family a disservice. He is a liability to the whole human race in varying degrees. The reason for this is that anything we do tends to help or hinder all those around us, just as weeds in one farmer's field tend to blow or creep into another farmer's field.

It seems to me that many of our children tend to be better than their parents. I believe the reason for this is that our schools, churches, teachers and public spirited citizens have a great influence on them.

While there arc a lot of signs of a degenerating society, there are more signs of a regenerating society. Perhaps we are entering a period of greater extremes. Certainly we have mounting problems, as our world shrinks, but we are solving them pretty well, I think.

In the surveys taken of teenagers, most of them think that parents do not give them enough leadership. They think parents are too weak. They want parents to restrict them in their questionable. activities. They don't really want to get into bad habits, but without the restraining hand of the parent they full into the traps against their own will.

It all points up the importance of good leadership in all phases of our society. We need our extremes but the extremes must never be in control, whether they be the fanatics of religion or the dross of the mobs.

Misleading Statements

HELLO FOLKS! — The father of a rapidly - growing youngster mumbled to a friend on the bus:

"He's getting too smart to outargue and too big to spank. I can hardly wait for him to fall in love so's some little girl will take him down a notch"

—o—

THERE ARE a lot of false notions going around that if not corrected are going to be used by self - interested parties to forward their own interests.

One of them goes something like this: "The farmer is the only businessman who buys at prices someone else sets and sells what others offer." Or they say, "Everyone else's prices are set but the farmers. They take what they can get."

Without much thinking such words seem to have some truth to them. On the other hand — are they true?

A man said to me, trying to prove his point, "If you go and buy a sack of tankage you pay what they ask, but when you sell the pig that ate the tankage you take what they offer."

Tankage is no different than any other item. The manufacturers get all they can for their product just as the farmer gets all he can for his hogs, or what ever it be. There is plenty of competition in protein feeds. If tankage is too high priced, we buy soybean meal and fortify it with vitamins. Or we may go to another dealer who has another brand of tankage at a lower price. Surely the price they are asking is probably marked on the bulletin board. And the hog prices they will pay are marked, but that doesn't mean they aren't competitive.

Then they will tell you that the auto manufacturers set their own prices. I have bought several cars and I shop around and get the best deal I can. There is plenty of competition in the auto industry. The salesmen are constantly at each other's throats to get that sale and the lowest offer usually sells.

The same is true of the manufacturer. He knows what the car costs him to produce. To that he adds the necessary profits and any other that he thinks the "traffic will bear." If he feels that he has an especially good seller he will add a few dollars to it. The opposite might also be true. He may have to take off a few dollars for the [time] being.

There are [plent]y of manufacturers who have gone out of business because they couldn't meet the competition in the long haul the car producer also takes what the buyer offers just as the farmer takes the highest offer he gets for the animal. And there is of course no law that says the farmer can't cooperate with other farmers and butcher the hogs themselves if they feel they aren't getting enough for their products.




Tankage - a fertilizer or animal feed obtained from the residue from tanks in which animal carcasses have been rendered.

Farms Cut Food Cost

Hello Folks !

An indication as to how agriculture is progressing; consider the advance in the broiler industry. Ten years ago it took 15 weeks to grow a bird to three pounds. That was gradually shortened to eight weeks and now a new process of feeding and breeeding has been able to get that bird to three pounds in seven weeks.

That means that the same facilities can now produce twice as many chickens as they could 10 years ago. The profit from such progress has been passed on to the consuming public which is a big factor in our increasingly high standard of living.

This efficiency added to the efficiency in production of the feed raised for the broilers, plus the efficiency of other industries accounts for most of the reason the average worker today gets twice as much for his food dollar today as he did 20 years ago.

—o—

Next to being shot at and missed there is nothing quite as satisfying as an income tax refund.

—o—

My wife says figures don't lie but girdles certainly condense the truth.

—o—

A baby is born each eight seconds in the U. S.

—o—

The most valuable time a man has are the hours he spends beyond what is necessary for earning a living. They can be frittered away at nothing; spent on hobbies; used to the disgrace of society or put to the service of one's fellowmen.

My deepest respect go to those who spend these extra hours in service to one's neighbors. We have many such people around about us and could use many more. There is no more satisfying work than that.

I think that success in life can be counted more in time thus spent than it can be in financial gain or social standing.

The one business of life is to succeed. I can't believe that the Lord placed us here to waste our lives. The greatest tragedy in the world is not the devastation that goes with war, nor the cost that goes with crime; nor both of these put together. The greatest tragedy in the world is that human beings, you and I, live so far below the level of our possibilities. It is the lack of this positiveness that causes most of our woes. We can all look hack and see things we should have done that we did not do. These are the seed bed we make for future evil.

We have the basis of this belief from the words of The Great Teacher who gave one of the bitterest denunciations. He ever uttered to the one who hid his talents in the ground, he said "Thou wicked and slothful servant".

In our efforts to better the lives of ourselves and others we need to plan carefully and work our plan. Our efforts have to start at home we can't be at our best if we allow our health, (both mental and phys, cal) to deteriorate, or permit slip shod ways to clutter our lives.

frittered: waste time, money, or energy on trifling matters.

slip shod: (typically of a person or method of work) characterized by a lack of care, thought, or organization.

Race Issue Attracts Many

HELLO FOLKS — Children have active fertile minds. Something must be grown in them. If we fail to fill them with good things they will fill with evil and filth.


—o—

WHENEVER A cause tends to become popular it attracts 'fair-weather' friends of every color and hue.

Such is the case with the present racial integration program. Well meaning people who just never had the nerve to speak out and act before suddenly become exceedingly active and move to the forefront.

Radicals and emotionalists as usual find their place in the movements. Some who never gave a thought to integration before suddenly have all kinds of ideas. Among these people are those who don't seem to have their purposes too well oriented.

There are those who in the past have made every endeavor to take away freedom from their fellow citizens and who now speak the loudest for integration.

Probably most of us will agree that racial integration is a good thing. Although if we lived in certain areas of the United States we might not be enthusiastic about it.

However, if racial integration is important, then religious integration is vital. If we do much studying of history we will generally conclude that the blending and competition in religion has done tremendous good for the nations who practiced it. There seem to be some, who, while they favor racial integration are heading the other way in religion.

—o—

THERE ARE those who have headed the integration movement, whose hands are not too clean, either. For instance in Chicago this week as in the past few weeks there were sit-in demonstrations. Streets, hallways, and entrances to public buildings were blocked. Why?

To force integration at all costs. They want students transported by bus to areas that have little racial mixture.

It would seem that they have little interest in the welfare of the children. The children are mostly a pawn to accomplish another aim, probably not stated. If they get their way, white students will be taken out of their neighborhood schools and bussed across town to other schools.

Also Negro students will be bussed to other areas where there are no Negroes. Tactics such as that make the word integration seem quite hollow..

Words Worth The Saying

HELLO FOLKS — Came across a few clever sayings that are well worth repeating. They have lot of sense to them.. Here they are:

Life is a journey, not a camp.
Snap judgment, like a bear trap, may catch the one who baits it.
It is no use trying to shine your lamp if you. do not take time to fill it.
A used mind is one item that has more value than a new.
Some of us do not need a bushel to hide our light; a thimble should suffice.

—o—

THE FREEBORN County fair has come to another successful conclusion. There are a few observations I would like to make, as one seeing it from the outside.

First, the weather co-operated 100 per cent. It was not too, hot nor too cold. There was no rain yet it was not so dry that it detracted from the joy of the fair.

I don't recalls year that there have been more total exhibits. Certainly the 4-H exhibits were at a record. And the quality of them were never better. While speaking of 4-H; Eldon Senske and his gang are certainly to be complimented for their grand work. They can't possibly be on an eight-hour schedule; more like a set of three, eight-hour schedules during fair time.

The quality of livestock has greatley improved through the years, and fairs have certainly done their share in helping improve them. Freeborn County has an abundance of beautiful riding horses. The hogs have improved hog of today is a far cry from the old fat lardy type of 20 years ago. And the cows of today will double the production of th show winner of twenty years ago.

Thehmidway was the biggest I have seen. While we were parked at the top of the Ferris Wheel I tried to get a count the many rides available. I believe there were at least 20 of them.

Congratulations to the, fair board and all who had to do with the success of the fair.
—o—

WITH A family as big as ours there are bound tobe exciting moments at the fair. We stopped at a stand to get some hamburgers; Mark (aged four) got tired and decided to go to the car. We thought he had gotten lost and started hunting for him. After a 20 minute search we found him asleep in the car. The same thing happened to Zina, only when we looked in the car she had decided to go look for us.

Jared and Ann had their first time at exhibits. They were very excited and learned a lot. Ann was really thrilled when she got a blue ribbon on her pig. Dana never got enough of the fair. I think he could have lived there and not gotten tired of it. He still has two years to go to be able to exhibit.

In the Front Or Back Seat?

HELLO FOLKS—Even if today's cars are supposed to be mechanically perfect and smooth running, some of them have a lot of jerks in them.

Peterson Tells Bedtime Stories

HELLO FOLKS — Minds are like parachutes, they function only when open. Some folks demand the benefits of the doubt you when there isn't any.

—o—

EX-PESIDENT John Quincy Adams was asked as he was nearing his death, "how are you." He had this to say. "Thank you, sir! John Quincy Adams, himself, is quite well. thank you. But the house in, which he lives at present is becoming quite dilapidated, It is tottering upon it's foundations. Time and the seasons have nearly destroyed it. It's roof is pretty well worn out. Its walls are much shattered, and it trembles with every wind. The old tenement is becoming almost uninhabitable, and I think John Quincy Adams will have to move out of it soon; but he, himself, is quite well, sir, quite well."

—o—

Grandmother was visiting at the little girl's home. One Sunday morning she gave her a dime to give in Sunday School. When Janet returned home, her grandmother asked her if she put the dime in the collection.

"No I didn't Grandma," the little girl replied. "But, my dear, why didn't you?" Grandma asked.

"Because I found a wonderful bargain, Grandma. You see, it was this way: I met a poor old man pushing one of those ice cream carts, and I stopped and asked him if he ever went to church, and he said he did, every Sunday. Then I said, 'Mister, if I give you this dime for two ice cream cones, will you give it to the church?' and he said, 'Sure, kiddo!' So I gave him the dime and he gave me two cones, Now, how's that for a bargain?" the little girl said.

Could Get In Much Deeper

Hello Folks! — Do you know the difference between prose and verse? There was a young girl named

Nelly, who waded in water up to her knees. That is prose. If she had gone a little deeper it would have been verse.

—o—

IT HAS happened more than once that my wife or I have been holding a baby of very tender age and someone has asked, "is this your youngest?"

—o—

MOST OF you of the first Congressional district received a questionnaire sent out by Cong. Al Quie in which he asked your opinion about 12 issues pertinent to the district.

Some of the questions and their answers went as follows. Regarding national defense, mutual aid, reciprocal trade and scientific aid for potential scholars, the answers were approximately 70 to 80 per cent in favor of present methods.

Most of the replies also were in favor of increased postal rates in order to reduce the deficit of the postal budget.

In regard to the present farm program, most believed that it was not working. Of those who did not believe in the present program, about 20 per cent favored increasing price supports. Of the farmers answering 43 per cent believed in increasing supports and 57 per cent in decreasing them. Fifty-four per cent of the farmers wanted all supports removed.

An interesting point of the survey is that while the majority wanted less interference in farm affairs, the majority wanted federal aid to education.

—o—

I LOVE to raid my wifes note books; they contain so many sweet bits of philsophy and poems. Here is one that she has. It has no signature as to who wrote it, but it pretty well hits the spot.

THE COWBOY'S PRAYER
Lord I've never lived where churches grow;
I love creation better as it stood
The day you finished it so long ago
And looked upon your work and called it good.

I know that others find you in the light
That's sifted down through tinted window panes;
And that I too; find you near tonight
In this dim, quiet starlight on the plains.

I thank thee Lord that I am placed so well,
That thou hast made my freedom so complete
That I'm no slave of whistle, clock or bell,
Or weak-eyed prisoner in walled-up street.

Just let me live my life as I've begun,
Give me work that's open to the sky,
Make me a partner with the wind and sun
And I'll not ask a place that's soft or high.

Let me be easy on the man that's down;
Make me free and generous with all;
I'm careless, Lord, sometimes when I'm in town
But never let them call me mean or small.

Make me big and open like the plains I ride,
Honest as the horse between my knees,
Clean as the wind that blows behind the rain,
Free as the hawk, which circles the breeze.

Forgive me Lord, when sometimes I forget,
You know the reasons which are hid,
You know about the things which gall and fret,
You know me better than my Mother did.

Just keep an eye on all that's said and done.
Just right me always when I torn aside,
And guide me on the long dim trail ahead
Which stretches upward, toward the great Divide.

No More Milk Support, Please

HELLO FOLKS. Back in Grandpa's time they had the ideal prescription for sound sleep. They called it hard work. We will never build patriotism in our youth by discouraging within them the very things that made this nation strong, thrift, frugality, hard work, etc.

—o—

MILK PRICES have started upward. It is about time that they do so. This might not seem like good news to the consumers, but the dairymen have been taking it on the chin long enough.

I have nothing but admiration for the man who has for these many years worked long and difficult hours milking a bunch of cows for as low an income as he has been getting.

Milking has to be done 14 times a week whether the dairyman is well or ill. Whether it is stormy or fair. Whether he wants to go on a vacation or lot. If he is unable to do it himself he has to find someone who will take over until he is back in the swing of it again. It is nearly impossible to hire anyone to do that work and break even doing it.

The average dairyman in Minnesota has been making about a dollar an hour for his time. The better dairymen who have their production well over -00 pounds of butterfat per cow have done better but have still not been getting a return anywhere in proportion to their skills.

I have been in dairying enough to know that it takes more talent and determination to keep a herd in high and profitable production than it does in most occupations. I suspect that anyone who would be as persistent as the dairyman has to be, would do well in most other fields too.

I mentioned in my year-end report that milk prices would on rise to $4 per hundred and that I would not be too surprised to see them go to $5. However the politicians, Republican and Democrat alike, are in there ready to spoil it.

They are doing it by crying for increased government support prices. This would tend to encourage too much and less efficient production and thereby lower total profits.

Would a substantial increase in milk prices hurt the consumser? An increase of 50 cents per hundred for milk would raise the price of milk 1 cent a quart. If the average worker earns $3 an hour and if he buys an average of three quarts of milk a day he would have to work less than one minute a day longer to pay for the extra price.

This for the most nutritious food on earth for which he has been paying bargain prices for these many years. This 50 cent increase in price would not give the dairyman a high income but would give him enough to be able to stay in business. I believe that he should have more than the 50 cent increase. A dollar would be more equitable.

Should the politicians get their way and raise the support price of milk substantially the dairyman is apt to be cut in his milk prices by 50 cents a hundred. This because it would stimulate production unnecessarily.

Smooth Going Makes It Rough

HELLO FOLKS: — The diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trails.

The reason a dollar won't do as much for people as it used to is because people won't do as much for a dollar as they used to.

—o—

THE ACTIONS of children are very strange, sometimes. One wonders what makes them do the things they do. Is it neglect at some time? Or is it our fault? Or is it just a natural reaction that all of us go through at some time or other.

Take Dana, for instance. He never showed too much interest in dolls or such things when he was in his infancy. He was always an outdoor boy. He was so full of interest in the livestock and machinery that he could endure a lot of cold and seemingly not even get cold, if the weather was above Zero.

This year he asked for a teddy bear for Christmas. Insisted that that was what he wanted. Having never shown much interest in such things before we doubted that he would be satisfied once he got it. But 'Andy' came to live with us (Or should I say, live with him). Anyway, Dana takes him to bed every night and 'Andy' is really an attachment to him.

It even went so far that the other day Dana insisted that 'Andy' would be one year old the next day and in accordance with the custom at our house he must have a cake and party. He pressured Mother into making a cake with one candle on it and come supper time the lights were turned out and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to 'Andy'. The one who enjoyed it the most was Dana. Of course all enjoyed the cake.

—o—

THERE IS A new trend in child rearing. It is slow in coming, but gradually it will take root. True, juvenile delinquency (as they call it) is still gaining and probably will for a few years yet, but the new trend is not to let the children do as they please. Instead they are to be taught, that Dad is not just a pal to his sons but the head of the house and that Sonny is to respect him.

There is to be a friendlyness between them, of course, but also a firmness. A firmness that has not been there for many years generally. "No more of this buddy, buddy stuff", the most recent psychological book says.

I, for one, think the child rearing books of the past few years were way off base. They bent over backwards in wanting the child to think for himself, whether he was capable of it or not.

"Children should not be frustrated, or have big disappointments," they said. "It might create an inferiority complex".

Well we reaped the consequences of such attitudes, and the results are not good. Just read the papers every day and we can see the results.

I don't go along with the extremes that the latest views on child rearing go to. I think that the scriptures have the right attitudes "The fear of the Lord, is the beginning of wisdom".
"Well, the fear of Father is also the beginning of wisdom in the son or daughter".

At the same time God is the personification of love; and so must father be the personification of love toward his children. That is the balance wheel of parental relationship that will bring up the future leaders of this nation in a way that will teach authority without warping the personality.

How Big Are Corn Fields?

HELLO FOLKS — There are some big corn fields in Freeborn County. I'll wait a couple of weeks and announce the response from you readers as to the size of some of the corn fields. If you know of a corn field that is a big one send in the number of acres and I'll announce it in the column.

—o—

JULY THIS year was the wettest month I have ever experienced at least as far as I can recall. Here at Edvera Farm we got 11.5 inches of rain during July. It started off with a whopping 4 1/2 inches the first. We had 1/2 inch the 4th, over 2 inches the 7th, a half inch on both the 11th and 14th, one-and-one-half the 19th, one-and-three-tenths the 20th, and then off showers the rest of the month.

This is considerably more than the Albert Lea record of over 7 inches for July.

I have been keeping record of the precipitation at Edvera Farm for several years and for the most part we get less than Albert Lea or Austin. This is quite a switch and evens up somewhat for the 2 or 3 inches less rainfall a year that we have been getting each year.

—o—

CHILDREN CAN give more laughs than any clown on earth.

Our four-year-old, Brent, was supposed to give a talk in Sunday School. He wanted to give his own idea of a talk, but we had had some experience with that in the past, so Vera drilled him closely to be sure he had the talk memorized. I understand that he did very well.

That was considerably different than what happened a few years ago to Randy. Randy is an individualist just like Brent. He insisted on giving his own talk in Sunday School. He was taught one that he was supposed to give but when it came time to give it here is what he said.

"Jesus had a little lamb. He took it down to the river. There was a railroad track running alongside the river. The lamb ran onto the railroad track and the train came along and ran over it."

Net Worth; Gross Habit

HELLO FOLKS! — I've heard that a man's net income is in direct proportion to his gross habit.

—o—

Public Law 480 has sometimes been titled "a give-away program" because only a small percentage of the value of the products sold actually returns to the U. S. in immediate cash. I believe the figure is about 3 per cent.

The amount that is not returned in trade is used up by our foreign embassies for their operation expenses, returned as a loan or just held in suspension.

This is not exactly an ideal situation, but under the circumstances it is the only answer to the problem of marketing our surpluses and the needy countries to get food for their people.

In order for Japan to buy food she has to sell her finished products. We have import restrictions that prohibit her from selling to us the amount of products necessary for her to buy needed food. Trade is necessary for the economic life of us both.

If the american farmer cannot sell his surplus food he is placed at disparity with the rest of the economy. The inevitable result of such a situation is an economic tail spin such as occurred in the early 30's. For if the farmer cannot buy the things he needs the whole economy suffers too.

We are draining our economic wealth paying for the storing commodities that should be in world trade. If we fail to move these and generate new wealth into the economy the inevitable happens. The same is true for other countries with exportable items. The ideal situation would be a gradual lowering of nearly all trade barriers.

True, we would be in open competition with foreign industries, but the wealth generated would more than make up for the original loss sustained.

However until the public becomes aware of these economic facts Public Law 480 is a must and is necessary. It benefits the U. S. and the other countries involved. It is not a give away program. It is an aid program.

—o—

You have all heard about the train that runs through the middle of the house. Well, the author of that song has nothing on us. We have got a boy here that has a mania for trains and bridges. So we generally have a train in the middle of our house.

Randy got a book for Christmas entitled "The Little Red Caboose". He knows it word for word, and for a long time it was his companion at night.

The book is still readable although there is more cost in the glue, Scotch tape and cloth that had been used for repairs than the book cost originally.

Local Farmers Back From West

Hello, Folks! — I've heard it said that the condition of a man can best be determined by how he takes things two at a time, — pills or stairs.

—o—

Broad mindedness is just high mindedness which has been flattened out by experience.

—

A Smile is something that adds to your face value.

—o—

I am sure a lot of us have had thoughts we would like to express and along comes someone and takes the words out of our mouths and says it better than we can. Charles B. Shuman, President of the A.F.B.F. recently did that in an article in the Nations Agriculture. He entitled it, "The Risks We Take." Here is what he says:

"We have always had prophets of gloom and doom who see little good and much evil in our American social, economic and political system.

"We are also blessed with a relatively small group of rabid radicals who would discard proven methods and ideas for almost any new or revolutionary panacea.

"Fortunately most of our citizens have held fast to those democratic principles and rights that were so well established by the founders of our Republic.

"The Constitution and Bill of Rights set forth the guarantees that assure our political freedom. While no such formal document spells out a bill or rights to protect our economic freedom, experience and the success of our free choice system have demonstrated certain rights that are essential to our continued progress.

"It is commonly recognized that freedom to choose and the individual incentives thus generated are necessary ingredients of the successful system that has made us the world's leading nation. Less well recognized is the fact that for each economic and political right there is a corresponding individual risk and obligation.

"The risk to own property is contingent upon the use of the property in such a way as not to injure the rights of others. Ownership also carries with it the risk of loss as well as the opportunity to profit. The right to choose a vocation brings with it not only the responsibility to engage in work which advances the general welfare, but also involves the risk of business failure.

"The right to save or spend the earnings of capital, management or labor is accompanied by the risk of unwise choice or poor investment. The right to contract, the right to buy and sell in a free market, the right to work and the right of the individual to opportunity all have their corresponding risks.

"...eliminate risk or its cost it can only be transferred or spread over many people. If all risks were transferred from individuals to the public in general it would be necessary to almost completely eliminate all chance for profit and the opportunity for individuals to earn in proportion to their effort and ability.

"The radicals and pessimests among us who, becoming alarmed at occasional business failures and price declines, advocate government intervention to eliminate all risk are actually striking a blow at freedom and individual opportunity.

"The price for government guarantee against loss of job, business failure or market decline is the elimination of opportunity for the individual.

"Yes, freedom and opportunity come only to those who are willing to take risks — but that's how the world's most successful nation was built; by individuals who valued opportunity more than security."

—o—

Once women were said to drive men to drink, now they lead them to it.

—o—

Wesley Pierson and Enoch Peterson went on the Farm Bureau livestock tour to Montana the middle of September. They report a very interesting trip. They left Minneapolis the evening of September 14th in a special car aboard the Milwaukee Hiawatha Olympian. Upon arriving at Harlowtown, Mont., the group was met by Montana ranchers. They were treated to banquets and lodging at the expense of the ranchers and shown around various ranches.

They visited the Harlowtown, White Sulphur Springs, Two Dot, Big Timber, Forsyth, Billings area. This is all mile high country and noted for it's excellent cattle and sheep. The mountain peaks around the area reach a height of 10,000 feet.

The idea of the tour was to create better understanding between the ranchers and farmers of the two states.

—o—

Beans — a vegetable which someone is always spilling.

District Meeting To Be Held Here

I have some interesting figures concerning Farm Bureau. 29 per cent of all farmers belong to Farm Bureau; 3 out of 4 farmers who belong to any farm organization belong to Farm Bureau; The total gain in Farm Bureau membership the past 5 years is as great as the total membership of Farm Bureau's rival, The Farmer's Union. An interesting fact is that there is a higher percentage of farmers in Farm Bureau than there is laborers in Labor Unions; this despite the fact that many unions get their membership by compulsion.

—o—

The little boy looked intently at his father, "Daddy, are you still growing?"
"No, Sonny, what makes you think so?"
"Because the top of your head is coming through your hair."

—o—

"That boy has taken some money!" he stormed.
"How can you be so sure," protested his wife, "why, I might have taken it."
"No, you didn't," Fathers retorted, "there is some left."

—o—

My apologies to Mrs. Ivan Johnson and Mrs. Carroll Olsen. I mentioned in another column that Mrs. Carroll Olson was elected secretary of the Oakland-Moscow Unit. I should have said Mrs. Carroll Olson was elected Woman's Committee Chairman and Mrs. Ivan Johnson secretary. I was at the meeting, but the Moscow men were serving that night and I was working in the kitchen getting lunch ready.

—o—

The Shellrock Unit recently reorganized. Winston Hammersly was elected chairman; Helmer Erdahl vice chairman; Mrs. Martin Struck, Secretary; Mrs. Winston Hamersly, Women's Committee chairman. Mrs. Lawrence Gustafson and myself were speakers at their meeting.

—o—

An important meeting for Farm Bureau members is coming up Wednesday, March 16. The District Spring Conference will be held in Albert Lea. This meeting is open to all Farm Bureau people. Officers especially are urged to attend. This meeting will be for Freeborn, Dodge, Mower, Steele, Waseca and Faribault counties. We expect a large attendance. These conferences are always interesting with pertinent questions of the day analyzed.

—o—

The new School Milk program available to all schools in Minnesota now; both public and parochi... and private. Here is a chance for all citizens to take advantage of a program that will increase the consumption of milk and create better health for the children. If your school is not now taking advantage of it, better get the facts and help yourself to health. One fifth of Minnesota farmers income comes from dairying.

Direction Is All Important

HELLO FOLKS — A French man asked a German guest how they told the difference between an optimist and a pessimist in Germany.

"Very simple," the German explained. "The optimist is learning English, the pessimist is learning Russian."

THE NEW father learned all about relative humidity by holding his infant daughter on his lap.

—o—

AT TIMES my son has got me fearing
He might, perhaps, be hard of hearing
When out at play, although I call
and when I say, "Go wash your hands,"
Or "Put your toys away," he stands
Around as if he hadn't heard
A single solitary word.

It's only when I tell his mother
Some whispered little thing or other
I'd just as soon he would't learn,
I find his hearing's no concern

—o—

I HAVE HEARD a number of great speakers in my life. I love to listen to people who have something to say.

Recently I had the opportunity to listen to Sterling W. Sill. He is manger of New York Life Insurance and one of the nation's greatest personnel motivators. I listened to him for a total of about three hours and wearied not one bit. The mind of Mr. Sill is so full of ideas to motivate people into doing things that he doesn't bore you.

Among the many things he said was that in 1830 it was recommended to Congress that the patent office be closed because nearly everything that could be invented had been.

Since then 2 million patents have been issues. Without these patents we would not have any of the conveniences which we have today, among them being the telephone, phonograph, radio, television, autos, tractors, electricity and most of the fine clothes we wear. We would still be about 80 per cent farmers, wearing home spun clothes, home tanned shoes and walking most every place we go.

He mentioned that the brain is the size of our two fists, is composed of 70 per cent water, has 2 billion cells and can store more there than all the libraries in the world, and that only a fraction of it is used during the lifetime of a man. He also stated that we literally create our own mind by how we develop it.

He went on that the mind is something like a climbing vine. It tends to pull itself upward by the things it attaches itself to. When we build bars in our homes instead of altars our minds tend to follow the action.

There are 168 hours in the week. He said that 40 of them we use to make a living, the other 128 we use as we please. We need about 56 of those to get our rest and the other 72 we could use to improve ourselves.

He state that the most valuable thing in life is life itself. The one business in life is to succeed, he said, and no man need fail. The fundamental law of the universe is that we all get paid for what we do. We do not always reap as we sow but we often reap what others have sown, and the rewards are not always seen immediately. For instance George Washington is still receiving rewards for the good he did, as are the other good and great men.

This is of course, just a fraction of what he said but gives you an example of what he has to offer.