Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Guide to the Hobson's Farm
Forecast, Inc. Records
1951-1987
Cage
608
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
- Creator
- Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc.
- Title
- Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc. Records
- ID
- Cage 608
- Date [inclusive]
- 1951-1987
- Extent
- 3 containers., 3 linear feet of shelf space.
- Language
- Collection materials are in English.
- Abstract
- Corporate documents, business records, correspondence, and copies of Hobson's Farm Forecast.
Preferred Citation
[Item Description]. Cage 608, Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc. Records . Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Biography/History
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple formed Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc., in December 1952 as a corporation created to produce Hobson's Farm Forecast, a weekly newsletter directed to farmers in the Pacific Northwest. The corporation was sold to the Doane Agricultural Service in 1955. Hobson was an agricultural economist, originally from Sedan, Kansas. After working at various places throughout the United States, he took a job at the State College of Washington, in 1947, with U.S. Bureau of Agricultural Extension in livestock marketing, with some teaching responsibilities. In mid-1948, he became a full-time member of the Bureau's extension information staff at WSC. In 1949, Hobson met Elliot Marple, a Seattle-based business forecaster who published Marple's Business Roundup, a weekly newsletter covering business market opportunities in the Pacific Northwest. Hobson and Marple, in 1950, formed a joint-partnership to produce Hobson's Farm Forecast. Hobson, in Pullman, provided the text, while Marple, in Seattle produced the weekly publication through his existing Roundup operation. In late 1952, Hobson and Marple dissolved their joint-partnership and created Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc., in part as a preventive measure against possible libel suits from disgruntled subscribers to the Forecast. Shortly, Hobson left the Bureau of Agricultural Extension at WSC and worked full-time for the corporation.
In mid 1955, Hobson and Marple sold Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc. to the Doane Agricultural Service, Inc., of Carmichael, California. Hobson's Farm Forecast ceased production in July 1955, with Doane's Western Farm Forecast taking over subscriptions. Hobson and Marple sold their interest in Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc. to Doane Agricultural Service in part because they saw the agricultural forecast market softening in the next few years. In addition, Hobson accepted a promotion with the Bureau of Agricultural Extension at WSC. For several months after Doane took over the subscriptions to Hobson's Farm Forecast, Hobson continued, part-time, to write for its new forecast publication. Doane ceased publishing the Western Farm Forecast in 1957. Karl Hobson retired from the federal agency in 1971. In the 1970s, he and his wife, Dorothy, moved to Maui, Hawaii. He died there from cancer in 1986. Elliot Marple continued to publish his business weekly, later retitled Marple's Business Newsletter.
Arrangement
The Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc., records are arranged in four series. One series consists of incorporation papers of Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc., which continued the partnership that Hobson and Marple established when they began to produce the newsletter. A second series consists of office files. In these are miscellaneous business records centered on activities surrounding producing a periodical, i.e., subscription accounts, sales promotions, revenues, and expenses. In addition, the records include an extensive correspondence file between Hobson and Marple that spans the duration of the newsletter, and also covers the years from 1979 to 1987. It chronicles the business's development and Hobson's and Marple's friendship. Finally, the records contains a nearly-complete run of Hobson's Farm Forecast.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections © 2012
http://www.libraries.wsu.edu/masc/
Terrell Library
P.O. Box 645610
Pullman, WA, 99164-5610 USA
509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Restrictions on Access
This collection is open for research use.
Acquisition Information
The Washington State University Libraries received the Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc., records from Elliot Marple of Mercer Island, Wash., in November 1993. Marple was secretary-treasurer of the company in the 1950s. The papers were accessioned as MS93-53.
Processing Information
The March 20, 1951 and May 26, 1952 issues of Hobson's Farm Forecast were added to folders 97 and 98 to fill gaps in the collection. These issues were originally a part of the Karl Hobson Papers (Cage 866).
Related Materials
Related Material
Names and Subjects
Corporate Name(s)
Creator(s) :
- Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc. --Archives
Occupation(s)
- Commodity trading advisors--Periodicals
Personal Name(s)
Donor(s) :
- Marple, Elliot, donor. waps
Subject(s) :
- Hobson, Karl
Subject(s)
- Agriculture -- Northwest, Pacific--Periodicals
- Agriculture -- Economic aspects--Northwest, Pacific
- Agriculture
- Publishers and Publications
Detailed Description of Collection
Series 1. Incorporation Papers |
||||
| box | folder | |||
|
Bill of Sale [Marple and Hobson, co-partners] to Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc. December 1952-January 1953 |
1 | 1 | ||
|
Articles of Incorporation 2 December 1952 |
1 | 2 | ||
|
Incorporation Papers |
1 | 3 | ||
|
By-Laws |
1 | 4 | ||
|
Authorization of Corporate Signatures 24 December 1952 |
1 | 5 | ||
|
Corporate Resolution of Authority December 1953 |
1 | 6 | ||
|
Annual Business Licenses, Filing Fees 1952-1956 |
1 | 7 | ||
|
Announcements of and Minutes of Annual Stockholders' and Directors' Meetings |
1 | 8 | ||
|
Letter covering agreement with Doane Agricultural Service 25 June 1955 |
1 | 9 | ||
|
|
||||
Series 2. Miscellaneous Business Papers |
||||
| box | folder | |||
|
Accounts 1951-1956 |
1 | 10 | ||
|
Correspondence concerning sale to Doane Agricultural Service 1955-1956 |
1 | 11 | ||
|
Miscellaneous Financial |
1 | 12 | ||
|
Payroll 1952-1956 |
1 | 13 | ||
|
Postage Meter Account |
1 | 14 | ||
|
Unemployment Insurance |
1 | 15 | ||
|
Taxes, State and City |
1 | 16 | ||
|
Federal Income Tax Returns 1952-1956 |
1 | 17 | ||
|
Federal Social Security |
1 | 18 | ||
|
Federal Copyright Registrations |
1 | 19 | ||
|
Addressograph, part 1 |
2 | 20 | ||
|
Addressograph, part 2 |
2 | 21 | ||
|
Addressograph, part 3 |
2 | 22 | ||
|
Subscriptions and Renewals 1951-1952 |
2 | 23 | ||
|
Subscriptions and Renewals 1952 |
2 | 24 | ||
|
Renewals 1952-1955 |
2 | 25 | ||
|
Renewals, special handling |
2 | 26 | ||
|
Subscription Problems 1953-1955 |
2 | 27 | ||
|
Bulk Subscriptions, Gift Subscriptions |
2 | 28 | ||
|
Changes of Addresses and Other Special Handling |
2 | 29 | ||
|
Stops and Specials--Subscriptions |
2 | 30 | ||
|
Student Lists |
2 | 31 | ||
|
Student Lists and Others on Exchange Basis |
2 | 32 | ||
|
Sale of Mailing Lists 1955 |
2 | 33 | ||
|
Promotion--general |
2 | 34 | ||
|
Prospects--HFF |
2 | 35 | ||
|
Mailings |
2 | 36 | ||
|
Sales Mail March-April 1951 |
2 | 37 | ||
|
Sales Mail August-October 1951 |
2 | 38 | ||
|
Sales Mail October-November 1951 |
2 | 39 | ||
|
Sales Mail March-April 1952 |
2 | 40 | ||
|
Sales Mail April-June 1952 |
2 | 41 | ||
|
Sales Mail October-November 1952 |
2 | 42 | ||
|
Sales Mail Spring 1953 |
2 | 43 | ||
|
Sales Mail July-August 1953 |
2 | 44 | ||
|
Sales Mail September-October 1953 |
2 | 45 | ||
|
Sales Mail Spring 1954 |
2 | 46 | ||
|
Sales Mail Fall 1954 |
2 | 47 | ||
|
Sales Mail Spring 1955 |
2 | 48 | ||
|
Banks--Sales Mail |
2 | 49 | ||
|
Christmas Gift Sub.--Sales Material |
2 | 50 | ||
|
Inquiries 1953-1955 |
2 | 51 | ||
|
Mailing Schedule 1951-1955 |
2 | 52 | ||
|
Refunds After Sale to Doane Agricultural Service 1955 |
2 | 53 | ||
|
Comments on Hobson's Farm Forecast |
2 | 54 | ||
|
Copyright Enforcement |
2 | 55 | ||
|
Kettle Farm Management Service subscriptions 1952-1954 |
2 | 56 | ||
|
News Releases on Hobson 1952-1955 |
2 | 57 | ||
|
Record |
2 | 58 | ||
|
Testimonials 1952-1955 |
2 | 59 | ||
|
Financial--General 1952-1955 |
2 | 60 | ||
|
Cash Expenditures by Elliot Marple 1952-1953 |
2 | 61 | ||
|
Cash Expenditures by Karl Hobson 1952-1956 |
2 | 62 | ||
|
Jondall (Printing) 1953-1955 |
2 | 63 | ||
|
Copy for First Year issue of Hobson's Farm Forecast |
2 | 64 | ||
|
Copy for 5 March 1952 issue of Hobson's Farm Forecast 1952 |
2 | 65 | ||
|
Marketing Strategies for Hobson's Farm Forecast |
2 | 66 | ||
|
Sales Stuff in Works |
2 | 67 | ||
|
Sales Packages of Farm Market Newsletters |
2 | 68 | ||
|
Subscription Income Ledger 1953 |
2 | 69 | ||
|
Subscription Income Ledger 1954 |
2 | 70 | ||
|
Subscription Income Ledger 1955-1956 |
2 | 71 | ||
|
Vouchers, Payments by Check 1951 |
2 | 72 | ||
|
Vouchers, Payments by Check 1952-1953 |
2 | 73 | ||
|
Vouchers, Payments by Check 1954-1956 |
2 | 74 | ||
|
Advertising |
3 | 75 | ||
|
Analysis of Returns |
3 | 76 | ||
|
Envelopes 1953-1955 |
3 | 77 | ||
|
How Long Should I Hold Potatoes, News Release 1951 |
3 | 78 | ||
|
Kiplinger Letter |
3 | 79 | ||
|
Photographs |
3 | 80 | ||
|
Miscellaneous |
3 | 81 | ||
|
|
||||
Series 3. Correspondence Files 1950-1989 |
||||
| box | folder | |||
|
Dale Corbridge, Sales |
3 | 82 | ||
|
Florence Jenkins, Oregon Journal 1951 |
3 | 83 | ||
|
Miscellaneous 1953-1955 |
3 | 84 | ||
|
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple February-August 1951 |
3 | 85 | ||
|
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple September 1951-February 1952 |
3 | 86 | ||
|
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple March-September 1952 |
3 | 87 | ||
|
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple October 1952-March 1953 |
3 | 88 | ||
|
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple April 1953-April 1954 |
3 | 89 | ||
|
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple May 1954-September 1957 |
3 | 90 | ||
|
Doane Agricultural Service 1955-1958 |
3 | 91 | ||
|
Negotiations Prior to Sale to Doane Agricultural Service |
3 | 92 | ||
|
Liquidation of Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc. 1955-1957 |
3 | 93 | ||
|
Miscellaneous 1977-1985 |
3 | 94 | ||
|
Karl and Dorothy Hobson and Elliot Marple 1979-1987 |
3 | 95 | ||
|
Karl and Dorothy Hobson and Elliot Marple 1979-1986 |
3 | 96 | ||
|
|
||||
Series 4. Hobson's Farm Forecast |
||||
| box | folder | |||
|
1951 |
3 | 97 | ||
|
1952 |
3 | 98 | ||
|
January-June 1953 |
3 | 99 | ||
|
July-December 1953 |
3 | 100 | ||
|
January-June 1954 |
3 | 101 | ||
|
July-December 1954 |
3 | 102 | ||
|
January-July 1955 |
3 | 103 | ||
|
Doane's Western Farm Forecast, successor to Hobson's Farm Forecast July 1955-May 1957 |
3 | 104 | ||
|
|
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