The Bulletin. 43 



TENTH ANNUAL FARMERS' STATE CONVENTION. 



The first meeting was held on Tuesday morning, August 27, 1912, 

 in the auditorium of the State Agricultural and Mechanical College, 

 Ealeigh. The Convention was called to order by President Shuford. 

 Mr. Shuford said: 



We are very glad indeed to have such a good crowd with us this morning, 

 and to see so many representative farmers from all sections of the State. We 

 have come together to see if we can help to improve farming conditions in 

 North Carolina. The first thing on our program is a greeting by Major Gra- 

 ham. Commissioner of Agriculture. 



Major Graham spoke as follows: 



I bid you welcome to this session of our Convention. I congratulate you 

 upon the advance which you and your brother farmers have made in your 

 work during the past three or four years. In corn and cotton culture the 

 farming of no State surpasses yours, while the advance in grain and forage is 

 also notable. As eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, so constant attention 

 to his business is the price which the farmer must pay for success. There is 

 no place for rest, nor for retirement, if we wish to accomplish all that is 

 desired. 



I hope that your deliberations will proA'e pleasant and profitable, that the 

 fine seasons you have brought us extend to your homes, and that upon your 

 return you will find your crops refreshed and invigorated as your minds will 

 be by the thoughts and suggestions which you will contribute or receive from 

 your association here. The Department is at your service. Visit the Museum 

 knd see some samples of the State's products ; also see how seeds, feed, food, 

 and oils are inspected; how serum for the vaccination of hogs is prepared and 

 administered, and any other work of the Department which may be interesting 

 to you. 



You will find the Agricultural Building a good place to rest when you go 

 downtown, and you will be always welcome. 



Dr. D. H. Hill, president of A. and M. College, welcomed the mem- 

 bers of the Convention as follows : 



It is said that when a Chinaman welcomes a distinguished guest, he says to 

 him, "Everything here is yours." I just want to say to you that everything 

 here is yours, except some of the women around here. They belong to us. 

 Now, gentlemen, we want you to feel entirely at home; we want you to go 

 where you please, when you please. Wherever there is a door open, and you 

 want to* go in, why. go in. We want you to feel just as much at home as at your 

 own home. We "have tried to build up some since you were here last time; 

 we are just finishing the new animal building and the new dining-room. They 

 will be entirely finished by the time you get back another year. 



We certainly appreciate having such a large crowd with us this year. I' 

 hope this meeting will grow from year to year until It cannot get indoors 

 here, and will have to be held outdoors. There is nothing more cheering than 

 to see the improvement year by year in farming. Our people are getting more 

 intelligent, talking more, comparing notes more, calling on all sorts of agencies 

 for help. 



Production in the United States is now 25 per cent behind growth in popu- 

 lation. That means that there is a big job for some one in closing up that gap. 

 If we are making 2.5 per cent less, it means that we have to do better farming, 

 we have to reclaim our waste lands, we have to make material cheaper, and 

 we have to sell better. It means that all the farmers have to study methods as 



