236 BOARD OF AGKICULTUKE. 



Now, no such amount of mystery should surround this matter. This 

 man ought to be able to get before an animal that represents a market 

 type or breed, and somebody ought to be there to tell him why it is a repre- 

 sentative animal and to point out the typical characteristics. The knowl- 

 edge this man seeks is not particularly difficult of acquirement if only 

 the conditions are favorable. I am perfectly well aware that this au- 

 dience will say that the picture is overdrawn. I tell you it is not over- 

 drawn. I have seen these people by the dozen, by the score, by the 

 hundred. You w^hom I address are favored people, iou can find out 

 anything you really want to know about an animal, and so can I, now; 

 but the time was when I was in exactly the condition I have pictured, 

 and I know the predicament of this individual thoroughly well; and I 

 know that this species is yet in existence in large numbers. 



Now, I must not be misunderstood in this matter. What I have said 

 is not in criticism of our fairs; it has been said to show that they are not 

 and can not be educators of the public in all the matters they need to 

 know. Live stock expositions are and must be for the exhibition of the 

 choicest animals that human skill can breed. They will likely be pedi- 

 greed animals of the highest class, and they can not be indiscriminately 

 handled by a curious mob. The judge can not be questioned even by those 

 who would like to know what he is thinking about. He can not think 

 aloud. He can not give all the reasons that prompted his decision. The 

 reputation of whole herds is placed in his hands. Great interests are at 

 stake that would suffer more by discussion than by defect in the showing. 

 He must care for the interests of breeders, and the judge may not take 

 advantage of his temporary position and turn teacher to the multitude. 

 The mass of stockmen and young men must get their elementary infor- 

 mation somewhere else, and with animals that mean less to their owners 

 than do those shown at our great expositions. Naturally, then, the college 

 comes to us as the proper institution for disseminating available knowl- 

 edge and information among young breeders and farmers. 



I might speak of the work which our association is doing in Illinois 

 in co-operation with the station. We find that the closer we keep to our 

 agricultural college people the better off we are. I have been connected 

 with the college for four years, but all of the remainder of my life was 

 spent on the farm, and I still manage my own farm, and I expect to 

 return there soon. Four or five of our associations grouped together or 

 pulled together and asked help for the experiment station. At the last 

 Legislature we had an appropriation. Our association received .?25.0no.no 

 for experimental work in the station; and another association ?25,000.OO 

 for soil investigation; the dairy association, ?15,000.00; the corn growers, 

 $10,000.00— well, there was $85,000.00 spent for experimental work and 

 investigation along these lines. The work was controlled by the indivi- 

 dual association — there were five members who constituted an advisory 

 board or committee, who served for two years. The live stock people at 



