Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections
Cage 608
Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc.
Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc. Records
1951-1987
3 Linear feet of shelf space
3 Boxes
The Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc., records consist of
corporate documents, business records, correspondence, and copies of Hobson's Farm
Forecast.
Collection materials are in English
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.
The Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc., records consist of corporate documents, business
records, correspondence, and copies of Hobson's Farm Forecast. 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, such as,
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.
Organized in 4 series in the order received.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions apply.
[Item description]
Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc. Records, 1951-1987 (Cage 608)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
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.
The March 20, 1951 and May 26, 1952 issues of Hobson's Farm Forecast were transfered
from the Karl Hobson Papers (Cage 866) to fill gaps in the collection.
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.
Karl Hobson Papers, 1934-1978 (Cage 866)
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Hobson, Karl, 1906-1986
Marple, Elliot
Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc. -- Records and correspondence
Agriculture -- Northwest, Pacific -- Periodicals
Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- Northwest, Pacific
Commodity trading advisors -- Periodicals
Agriculture
Publishers and Publishing
Series 1. Incorporation Papers
1
1
Bill of Sale [Marple and Hobson,
co-partners] to Hobson's Farm Forecast, Inc.
December
1952-January 1953
1
2
Articles of Incorporation
2 December 1952
1
3
Incorporation Papers
1
4
By-Laws
1
5
Authorization of Corporate
Signatures
24 December 1952
1
6
Corporate Resolution of
Authority
December
1953
1
7
Annual Business Licenses, Filing
Fees
1952-1956
1
8
Announcements of and Minutes of Annual
Stockholders' and Directors' Meetings
1
9
Letter covering agreement with Doane
Agricultural Service
25 June 1955
Series 2. Miscellaneous Business
Papers
1
10
Accounts
1951-1956
1
11
Correspondence concerning sale to Doane
Agricultural Service
1955-1956
1
12
Miscellaneous Financial
1
13
Payroll
1952-1956
1
14
Postage Meter Account
1
15
Unemployment Insurance
1
16
Taxes, State and City
1
17
Federal Income Tax Returns
1952-1956
1
18
Federal Social Security
1
19
Federal Copyright
Registrations
2
20
Addressograph, part 1
2
21
Addressograph, part 2
2
22
Addressograph, part 3
2
23
Subscriptions and Renewals
1951-1952
2
24
Subscriptions and Renewals
1952
2
25
Renewals
1952-1955
2
26
Renewals, special handling
2
27
Subscription Problems
1953-1955
2
28
Bulk Subscriptions, Gift
Subscriptions
2
29
Changes of Addresses and Other Special
Handling
2
30
Stops and
Specials--Subscriptions
2
31
Student Lists
2
32
Student Lists and Others on Exchange
Basis
2
33
Sale of Mailing Lists
1955
2
34
Promotion--general
2
35
Prospects--HFF
2
36
Mailings
2
37
Sales Mail
March-April
1951
2
38
Sales Mail
August-October
1951
2
39
Sales Mail
October-November
1951
2
40
Sales Mail
March-April
1952
2
41
Sales Mail
April-June
1952
2
42
Sales Mail
October-November
1952
2
43
Sales Mail
Spring 1953
2
44
Sales Mail
July-August
1953
2
45
Sales Mail
September-October
1953
2
46
Sales Mail
Spring 1954
2
47
Sales Mail
Fall 1954
2
48
Sales Mail
Spring 1955
2
49
Banks--Sales Mail
2
50
Christmas Gift Sub.--Sales
Material
2
51
Inquiries
1953-1955
2
52
Mailing Schedule
1951-1955
2
53
Refunds After Sale to Doane Agricultural
Service
1955
2
54
Comments on Hobson's Farm
Forecast
2
55
Copyright Enforcement
2
56
Kettle Farm Management Service
subscriptions
1952-1954
2
57
News Releases on Hobson
1952-1955
2
58
Record
2
59
Testimonials
1952-1955
2
60
Financial--General
1952-1955
2
61
Cash Expenditures by Elliot
Marple
1952-1953
2
62
Cash Expenditures by Karl
Hobson
1952-1956
2
63
Jondall (Printing)
1953-1955
2
64
Copy for First Year issue of
Hobson's Farm Forecast
2
65
Copy for 5 March 1952 issue of
Hobson's Farm Forecast
1952
2
66
Marketing Strategies for Hobson's
Farm Forecast
2
67
Sales Stuff in Works
2
68
Sales Packages of Farm Market
Newsletters
2
69
Subscription Income Ledger
1953
2
70
Subscription Income Ledger
1954
2
71
Subscription Income Ledger
1955-1956
2
72
Vouchers, Payments by Check
1951
2
73
Vouchers, Payments by Check
1952-1953
2
74
Vouchers, Payments by Check
1954-1956
3
75
Advertising
3
76
Analysis of Returns
3
77
Envelopes
1953-1955
3
78
How Long Should I Hold Potatoes, News Release
1951
3
79
Kiplinger Letter
3
80
Photographs
3
81
Miscellaneous
Series 3. Correspondence Files
1950-1989
3
82
Dale Corbridge, Sales
3
83
Florence Jenkins, Oregon
Journal
1951
3
84
Miscellaneous
1953-1955
3
85
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple
February-August
1951
3
86
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple
September
1951-February 1952
3
87
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple
March-September
1952
3
88
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple
October
1952-March 1953
3
89
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple
April 1953-April
1954
3
90
Karl Hobson and Elliot Marple
May
1954-September 1957
3
91
Doane Agricultural Service
1955-1958
3
92
Negotiations Prior to Sale to Doane
Agricultural Service
3
93
Liquidation of Hobson's Farm Forecast,
Inc.
1955-1957
3
94
Miscellaneous
1977-1985
3
95
Karl and Dorothy Hobson and Elliot
Marple
1979-1987
3
96
Karl and Dorothy Hobson and Elliot
Marple
1979-1986
Series 4. Hobson's Farm
Forecast
3
97
1951
3
98
1952
3
99
January-June
1953
3
100
July-December
1953
3
101
January-June
1954
3
102
July-December
1954
3
103
January-July
1955
3
104
Doane's Western Farm
Forecast, successor to Hobson's Farm
Forecast
July 1955-May
1957