6 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



were present. A similar conference for the States west of the Rocky 

 Mountains was held at my request at Berkeley, Cal., on April 13, 

 under the leadership of President Benjamin Ide Wheeler, of the 

 University of California. 



At the St. Louis conference the entire agricultural situation pre- 

 sented by the emergency was thoroughly discussed. The major prob- 

 lems considered were the production of sufficient foods and feedstuffs 

 not only for this country but also for the nations of Europe with 

 which we are associated in this war, the conservation of farm prod- 

 ucts and of foods, the mobilization of farm labor, the regulation of 

 storage and distributing agencies, and the further organization of 

 all the Nation's agricultural instrumentalities — National, State, and 

 local. A comprehensive program for execution under existing law 

 and for additional legislation was unanimously adopted. This pro- 

 gram was communicated to the Berkeley conference, which con- 

 curred in it. It is noteworthy that in two days the agricultural 

 leaders of the country drew up a program the wisdom of the essen- 

 tial features of which has not been successfully questioned and the 

 substantial part of which has been embodied in the Food Produc- 

 tion and Food Control Acts. The prompt and effective handling 

 of the situation was made possible by reason of the fact that the 

 American people, generations before, had wisely laid the foundations 

 of many agricultural institutions and had increasingly liberally sup- 

 ported their agricultural agencies. The Nation was fortunate in hav- 

 ing had in existence for many years, for the purpose of promoting 

 scientific and practical agriculture, its Federal Department of Agri- 

 culture, and a department of agriculture and a land-grant college in 

 each State, as well as great farmers' organizations. It is interesting to 

 note that two of these agencies, the Federal department and the land- 

 grant colleges, had their National official recognition and their real 

 origin in another period of stress — in 1862 — in two acts of Congress 

 approved by Abraham Lincoln. 



It was recognized as of special importance that the views and 

 cooperation of the great farmers' organizations of the Nation and 

 of leading individual farmers be secured. I therefore invited 

 representative farmers to come to Washington on April 23 to give 

 advice and to make recommendations. They included mainly offi- 

 cials of the National Grange, the Farmers' Educational and Coopera- 

 tive Union, the Gleaners, and the Farmers' National Congress. 



