PBB8IDENT*S ADDRESS. 



7e the Illinois State Board of Agriculturei 



Gentlemen— At this, the bt'jrinninfr of a new century, I oonRratulRte the 

 members of the board. The ceuturj' that has passed has been a m >st mem- 

 onible one. Its be^^innin^; found our State a wilderness, inhabited by the 

 red man with wild animals for his companions. \\^ growth ha- been marvel- 

 ous; in fact the history of our projjress from 1800 until now reads morn like a 

 fairy tale than the recital of actual tacts. The old fashioned "prairie 

 schooner" has been succeeded by trains of palace cars, and new country 

 is now opened up, not by the pioneer settler but by the enterprise of men 

 who have millions of dollars invested in buildinjr railways into unproductive 

 sections. The wooden mold board has jjiven way to the steam plow, while 

 the flail is a memory undisturbed even by the noise of the steam thresher. 



While on every hand there has b«en great prop^ress, in no place has it been 

 more marked than on the farm aud in the farmer's hoaje. Into the latter 

 have fjone all the various improvements that litjhten the labor of the house- 

 wife, as well as all the culture and refinement which characterize the home 

 of affluence in the city. 



To the State Board of Af:riculture must be given much of the credit which 

 place-* the Illinois farmer today in the front lank. Our annual State fairs 

 still continue to be a school of instruction, alrke to the old and y )ung farmers 

 of the State, and the statistics of varied crop.^, great productions and unpre- 

 cedented enterprise of the Illinois farmer, demonstrate the wisdom of the 

 Legislature in caring with such a free hand, for the interests of the State 

 fair. It is a matter of pride to every citizen of the State that it is now con- 

 ceded by all that our annual fair stands without a rival in the Union, while 

 the commodious grounds are the admiration of every one who visits them. 



But we must not stand still. Progress has ever been the chief character- 

 istic of Illinois, and the beginning of this century is no time to call a halt. 

 Every one who has visited the fair for the last few vears has been impressed 

 with the lack of ascommudations in Machinery Hall. Wh^n this building' 

 was constructed it was supposed to be ample tor the needs of exhibitors for 

 years to come, but such is the reputation of our State fair that this building^ 

 has for years been utterly inadequate for the accommodation of exhibitors. 

 The manutacturing interests of Illinois lead all the states in the Union, and 

 everything should be done to give them the utmost encouragement. It is 

 not dealing fairlv with those who -pend large sums of monev to make their 

 exhibits, to rccjuire them to occupy tents on the ground, and I hope the Leg- 

 islature will give us ample appropriations to enlarge this building so that it 

 may be ample in its accommodation for ever% exhibitor who desires to bring* 

 the products of his factory or shop to the "Greatest Fair on Earth." 



The same may be said of the exhibitors in the live stock department. 1 

 refer especially to cattle and horses. Some provision must be made at once 

 for the proper showing of the rinj^s in this department. The plans and spe- 

 cifications have already been adopted by the constructioii committee of the 

 retiring board for a live stock pavilion capable of senting 5.000 people, and 

 with all accommodations for the showing of horses and cattle under shelter. 



I most earnestly recommend that an appropriation be asked for, sufficient 

 for the erection of this building during the coming season and in time for 

 our next fair. 



The Woman's Building, which was presented in a perfectly complete form 

 for the first time last year, wiM be ki pt in charge of ladies wh« will see that 

 its varied uses are increased. The establishment of this building was an 

 idea fraught with great good for the wives and daughters of the farmers of 

 the State, and there are yet much greater possibilities in the future. It has 

 proven a great school for lessons in cooking, and has been the means of edu- 

 cating many iti most economical methodf- in the household. 



When we have carefullv canvassed the work upon which we have just 

 entered, other improvements may suggest themselves, and if so, we have 

 full confidence in the liberality of the people, through the Legislature, ta 



