76 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



came here and delivered a lecture, and will you please tell 

 me the difference between nitrogen and nitrate of soda?" 

 One of the ablest of our scientific men lectured for an hour 

 upon fertilizer, and then that man came to me and asked me 

 if I would tell him the difference between nitrogen and nitrate 

 of soda. It was not made plain or clear to him. The talk 

 was over his head. It is a fact that at the New York State 

 Dairymen's Convention last fall they had Congressman Grout 

 and Mr. Flanders and Major Alvord talking about oleomar- 

 garine and the Grout bill. They talked it all to pieces, but it 

 is a fact that a farmer who was there afterwards asked me to 

 tell him what this Grout bill was. He wrote: "Will you 

 please tell me what this Grout bill is?" Now I want to tell 

 you prosperous men right here, you assume too much. You 

 assume that the average farmer knows half as much as you do. 

 That was the case in those meetings. Those speakers talked 

 over the head of that man. The successful institute speaker 

 must come down to the level of his audience. It doesn't 

 do to say that if he does not know as much as you do he is 

 ignorant, and, therefore, you should let him alone. I say no. 

 I say it is your duty to talk to him so he can understand. It 

 is your duty to talk in such a way that his ignorance and 

 prejudice can be pulled out by the roots, and so that new 

 thoughts and aspirations can be put into him. 



After more than twenty years of continual experience with 

 agriculture and American farmers I am convinced that the 

 most businesslike way of conducting a farmers' institute is by 

 the use of a method which will induce the farmers to ask ques- 

 tions. That opens his mind to the speaker. It shows what 

 is going on in it, and what he means; it then enables the 

 speaker to help him. His state of mind can be gauged by the 

 questions which are asked. I believe that is the most effective 

 way. Do not be afraid to get right down close to them. Make 

 the answer as simple as possible. Answer the questions 

 simply and seriously and plainly. It seems to me absurd to 



