VERMONT DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 1 39 



mother's son of them, and we scraped the money together, and we 

 put another mortgage on the farm for $1,050, and we went to Utica and 

 we went to a breeder of Holstein cattle. We told this man how we 

 stood financially, and he gave us the worth of our money. We supposed 

 a cow was a cow, but we found out there was a difference in cows. 

 Nobody knew what we had done except our wives and one hired man; 

 he told some one, and while we were away the neighbors found it out. 

 An old man who lived near us came along to offer sympathy to our 

 poor little wives, and told them the boys were fit subjects for a lunatic 

 asylum. In a few days we came home and our wives came down to 

 meet us and told us what had taken place there, and what had been said. 

 After supper my brother and I took the lantern and went out into 

 the stable and looked over our investment with more confidence 

 in it than ever before. We shook hands in that stable and said 

 if God would spare our lives and we kept our health we would lift that 

 indebtedness before those old men died, and we left the building that 

 night with what we called the Eureka stock farm, owned by the 

 Van Dresser Brothers, with two mortgages upon it, and we came up 

 out of the earth. 



Now, brother farmers, in the old way we could not pay our interest; 

 in the new way in nine years we lifted the indebtedness and the home 

 was ours, thank God, before those old men died. Brother farmers, I am 

 not here in behalf of the men whose early years have been made easy. 

 Nay, verily, I am here in behalf of the man that hardly knows how to 

 keep the wolf from the door. God knows, that man has got the tender 

 side of my heart. I know how you have to work to lift the indebtedness 

 and pay for the home. I am here to encourage you and to say to you 

 that history repeats itself. Farming is on the boom; every man has 

 employment that wants it; you have every reason to rejoice and be glad; 

 let us go to work and toil intelligently and we can put the products of 

 our farm on the markets of the world. Where are your boys to-day? 

 Do you realize the boys of to-day will be the farmers of the future. 

 If you want to keep your boys on the farm interest them in the work, 

 talk over your farming interests with them, listen and try to enjoy their 

 company and they will have confidence in you. Fathers give your sons 

 the right hand of fellowship, encourage their interest in dairy work. 



Brother farmers, I want you to so care for the little ones and that 

 when your work shall be done they will be ready to take your place 

 in the world and do their duty as you shall have done yours; that your 

 flocks may be large, your farms fruitful, your storehouses overflowing 

 with milk and butter; that the children gathered around your hearth- 

 stone and playing upon the green hills may in the years to come rise up 

 and thank God that they were born on a farm and taught to live and 

 know themselves as they should. 



President Bruce. — Ladies and gentlemen, I see that the chief execu- 

 tive of our commonwealth is with us and I trust he will talk to you a few 

 minutes. 



