No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 113 



between the State Board of Agriculture and the various organiza- 

 tions of the State that there should be. 



We will find, I think, by looking back, by comparison, that the 

 State Board of Agriculture was instituted by those who originated 

 it for the betterment of the conditions of the farmer; for the educa- 

 tion of the farmer along certain lines which will advance his inter- 

 ests and prepare him better for that grand work which he is doing 

 for us now^; in short, that is the object of the State Board of Agricul- 

 ture. And, further, it was so arranged that it might have a represen- 

 tative in every county in the State, that by so doing, it might work 

 out so that the whole State and everybody therein engaged in that 

 pursuit might be benefited by it. But when we get along these lines 

 and reason there, I fear we fail to find the benefit for which it is in- 

 tended, nor do we find that co-operation and working together of 

 the State Board and the individual farmer in the State, as the orig- 

 inal intention was, or that it should be to make it successful in 

 operation. 



It seems to me that the objects of the State Board of Agriculture 

 were that the farmers of the Commonwealth might be in continuous 

 communication and connection with a certain head that might be 

 enabled to impart information to the individual farmer along the 

 various branches of agriculture, so that they should be and would be 

 benefited. Now that is the intention of the State Board, and it is 

 not because of the failure of this Board that our farmers are not re- 

 ceiving the benefit that they should, but because of the failure of the 

 co-operation of farmers throughout the State with that Board with 

 which they should co-operate. I believe that co-operation can be se- 

 cured if the individual farmer can be interested and that much more 

 benefit will result. 



Mr. Chairman, we have the various farm organizations in the State, 

 the county agricultural societies in some counties, and various other 

 organizations in the counties that are organized for the betterment 

 of the condition of the farmer. Now, we have a law under which the 

 members of the State Board are chosen, which defines how the 

 representatives of the State Board of the various counties shall be 

 chosen, and it seems to me that right there you will permit me to 

 make a suggestion that that should be and might be improved. We 

 know for a fact, that in some of our counties, at least, agricultural 

 organizations by name exist, that are not composed of farmers or 

 agriculturists in that county. Now then it seems to me that there 

 might be an improvement right there; we might ask for laws for 

 such improvement, so that these agricultural societies in the coun- 

 ties should be composed of farmers. I know for a fact that in my 

 own county, there is a society which is considered a county society, 

 that I doubt very much, Mr. Chairman, whether there is a farmer 

 8—7—1904 



