No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 203 



caring for the beautiful garden in which he had been placed, pruning 

 and keeping it and making it not only a source of advantage but 

 also of pleasure as well. Now, from that day down to this I 

 think I may say that the native occupation of the inhabitants of the 

 soil, of the earth, has been the care of the earth and its produce, 

 making it to bloom like the garden; making it to bring forth fruits 

 and flowers and those things both healthful and beautiful. So that 

 you represent all that was involved in that first occupation which 

 God gave to the sons of men; the oldest occupation in point of time 

 ot" any upon the face of the earth to which men have devoted their 

 lives and energies. 



And then we welcome you all because of the class of people you 

 represent. You not only represent the oldest occupation, but you 

 represent a class of people who are without superiors in any other 

 class of people on the face of the earth. It is quite possible that I 

 have a degree of prejudice in favor of the farming class, having been, 

 as I have, fortunately brought up on the farm, I have always had a 

 large degree of sympathy and interest in the farmers and their occu- 

 pation, and for that reason I believe I am inclined to think that, 

 taking them all in all, they are just a little bit better than any other 

 class of people who follow any other occupation. They represent 

 in large measure, I think, those solid virtues which are necessary 

 in order for the welfare of any community or people. After all, it 

 is upon those virtues largely found and largely preserved in the 

 country homes of our land, it is to those we look for that substan- 

 tial aid and help in every time of need which comes to every people 

 and to every nation. We look to their substantial virtues and their 

 strong common sense, to their patriotism, to their sense of what is 

 right and depend upon people, most upon that class for the preserva- 

 tion of those things that are at the very foundation of our institu- 

 tion and our prosperity and of our future greatness as it shall grow. 

 We depend more upon that class than any other class in our popu- 

 lation. 



And then we welcome you because of the greatness of the industry 

 which you represent. I do not know, because I do not have the sta- 

 tistics before me to determine what the value of the products of the 

 farms is in this nation of ours, but I think I can say, without fear 

 of successful contradiction, at least that, the value of the products 

 of our farms in this country far outstrips the products of our mines 

 or any other industry whatever it may be. I think I am right in 

 that. And so, too, we welcome you here to-day as the representa- 

 tives of that industry, an industry that lies at the foundation of 

 all our other successes and greatness and prosperity too. You are 

 great, your occupation is great not only because of the magnitude of 

 this industry and the magnitude of the value of the annual products 

 of a great industry, but because of our dependence upon it. The 

 kingdom itself is nourished by the production of the field and what- 

 ever istrue of the kingdom is true of everyone from the highest to 

 the simplest citizen of the land. After all, we must come back to 

 the land. The important question is always presenting itself, what 

 shall we eat and what shall we be clothed with, and in answer to 

 this important puestion we go back to the soil and its products 

 because it is only with these that man can be fed and clothed and 

 shall we eat and what shall we be clothed with, and in answer to 



