VOL. LXIV
INDIANAPOLIS, MARCH 13, 1909.
NO. 10
Assessment    For  Statistical
Reports.
The assessor has always been looked
upon with great disfavor, ond his approach has almost universally been the
signal for the welling up of a fountain of
resentment and antagonism in the breas'.
of the farmer, who, having just passed
through the long, hard winter, during
which the fruits of the past year's ceaseless labor have perhaps been exhausted,
cannot see the justice in his being required to give to the assessor information
which, he thinks, can do himself no good,
but, on the contrary will make it possible for the taxes against his property to
be increased, and worse, will give the
speculators an opportunity to still further satisfy their greed at the expense of
his toil and hardship. He hesitates to
give true conditions, and the half hour's
visit of the assessor is anything but
pleasant, either to the assessor or to himself.
The farmer who is not suspicious of
the results of information which he may
give, will answer all the assessor's inquiries as carefully and accurately as
possible; but as the part of the information relating to agriculture has dealt
with what may develop in the future,
even the farmer who would, cannot give a
report which can be relied upon as being
correct. For example: When he makes
his report in March, he may guessi that
in April or May he may plant a certain
number of acres of corn, oats, etc., and
later that he may harvest the same number of acres; but his plans may not be car
ried   out. He   may,     before   planting
time, change his mind as to the number
of acres he will put in the various) crops;
cr, if he carries out his) first intentions
as to acreage, some condition may arise
before harvest time which will greatly
change the expected result; as, for example, frost, the fly, extreme wet or ex-
tieme dry weather may affect his wheal
crop, and cause him to plow up a part
or all of his wheat and put it in corn or
some other crop.
Any artificial report based upon
what may happen at some time in the
future can at best be treated as only a
guess, and is not as reliable as a report
which deals with what has actually been
planted and harvested. An effort is being made by J. L. Peetz, state statistician, to arrange this work in such a way
as to get statistical reports upon agriculture which will be absolutely correct and
reliable. He has made a complete revision of the agricultural schedule, and
when the assessor visits the farmer this
spring to secure information for the statistical report, he will not ask how much
the farmer expects to produce during the
current year, but will ask how much was
produced last year. The farmer wil!
have no difficulty in answering these
questions, because his crops will all have
been harvested and he will know exactly what he raised and what is was worth:
snid he will need have no hesitancy in giving a true report, because his wheat,
corn, oats, hay, etc., have, in most cases,
been sold, and there is absolutely no op-
rortunity for the speculator to gain anything from information he may give.
Moreover the report of property fo.-
statistical purposes is based upon values
on January 1, while the report for taxation is based upsm values existing March
I. thus making it impossible to in anyway check or to compare the   information
given for the two reports.
In his report, Mr. Peetz is also taking
up the question of forests, drainage, and
dyking,    which  should  be  of peculiar  fol
ate reports with reference to his business
tical work when he learns that the information published will he reliable. The
farmer is just as much entitled to accur-
Circular Barn on Farm of R. B.  Huston,  Switzerland  County.
sSO-Foot Circular Barn  Under Construction, ssu Farm of G. A. Charles, Orange Ci
tcrest to the farmers.        The forest problem is becoming a serious one throughout
the country    so much so that President
Roosevelt,    about    a    year ngo,    decided
upon the necessity of appointing a  com-
mission,   which is now known as tin- National  Conservation  Commissiisn,   for  the .
purpose of devising  ways and  means for .
the preservation    of the    forests of    the
country, and also for the redemption    of .
waste lands.        Mr. Peetz has also taken
up the question of improved  roads.
The  farmer    who    understands    these
changes and understands the purpose    of i
the report,    will be glad to have his in- j
formation   ready   in  a  correct  form,   and, |
as a loyal Hoosier,    will    be anxious to
help make the best showing which is possible and consistent  with  true conilitions.
He  will  take lie re  interest  in  the  slat's- j
as is the manufacturer or any other business man. There is no better place for
the farmer's boys and girls to learn practical bookkeeping than in assisting their
parents in keeping a strict account of all
th.'   business1    transacted. The  system
whicli has heen adopted by Mr. Peetz will
have a tendency to create an interest upon the part of the farmer to the extent
that in a few years he will keep as stris-t
an account of his receipts and expen u
tures as does the business man.
Trustees and School Books.
Eillti.rs  Insliana  Farmer:
I noticed nn article from George G.
King in the Indiana Fanner this week in
regard lo Ihe law having been changed so
thai Trustees no longer handle school
books.    Mr.   King  is    mistaken  on    this
subject; trustees are compelled to keep
schsssil books the same now as they wi.e
four years ago. Mr. King also says that
we pay the trustees and superintendents
for their work. In another place he says
the township is out nothing; this is where
he got it right.
The facts of the case are that the trustee must go to the superintendent every
fall aud get a spring wagon load of school
1 ooks, haul them home, aud keep them in
a good place so that they will not get
flaimaged. And when some one telephones
in for him to send a book or two by some
neighbor or send it to the school house by
"lie of the children, and then informs him
ihat he will settle with him when he sees
him, the trustee has got to do it. If the
man (or woman) has a good memory and
does not forget it, thia is all right, but if
he forgets it, the trustee must dig down
in his pocket and shell ont the cash. If
he fails to make good his bondsman will
get into trouble. And then every three
nionths he must make a double report,
one to keep in the office and one for the
County Superintendent. All this you
must do for your health if you are a trustee. You are not allowed one cent from
the township or the Sehool book company
for your trouble, either.
I am making no kick. I am only giving
the facts in the case, I think it a good law
law and ought not be repealed.
A Township Servant.
Shelby Co.
What the  Soil Needs.
Ksiltors   Indiana   Farmer:
A farmer does not need to have a
scientific education to understand the
needs of the soil. About the only elements that can be lacking are phosphorus,
nitrogen and potash. Phosphorus is the
element thnt brings plants to maturity
and forms the seed. It makes the ears
of corn and heads of wheat fill with
1 lump, ripe grain. Nitrogen gives color
to the plaut and promotes rapid growth.
When the plant grows rank and dark
green, and keeps on growing but doesn't
mature and fill, it lacks phospihoms.
Soft straw or stalk denotes a deficiency
in   potash. This   form   of   plant   food
should be used where straw or stalk lacks
gloss and stiffness. Generally clay soils
contain sufficient potash, hut are nearly
aiwaya short on phosphorus and nitrogen.
Black soils, on the other hand, are often
lacking in potash and phosphorus, but
contain large supplies of nitrogen. Sandy
soils are frequently short on all three
elements. E. D. K.
Lightning Strikes Beech Trees.
Editors  Indiana   Farmer:
In your issue of January 30, a correspondent is writing of the protection from
lightning. I differ with him in the statement that lightning don't strike beech
trees. In July, 1907 I had 1.1 sheep
killed under a beechtree by lightning. No
other tree was close to it. and the limbs
didn't touch anything. I have heard of
Other case, sif lightning striking beech
tiees. My advice would be don't shelter under a beech tree for safety in a
thunder storm. I.. O. Tomey.
Monroe Co.
—We nre sorry to learn that even the
beech is not immune from lightning; we
hnd always supposed that one was safe
in a thunder storm, under a beech tree.
I "as any other reader known of a case
like that told bv  Mr. Tomey?