226 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc 



PAPERS READ AND ADDRESSES DELIVERED AT THE AN- 

 NUAL MEETING OF THE FARMERS' NORMAL INSTITUTE, 

 HELD AT EXPOSITION PARK, PA., MAY 25-27-1915. 



ADDRESS OF WELCOME 



By JAMES E. REANY. 



As President of the Board and on their behalf, I wish 

 to extend to each and every one of you a most cordial 

 welcome. We feel esftecially proud to have you among us 

 and trust that your stay will be one to be remembered. We espe- 

 cially appeal to those members who have come from some remote 

 part of the State, because we are very proud of this particular sec- 

 tion and of our beautiful little bod^' of water here, which we feel 

 is unsurpassed in natural beauty anywhere in the country; and 

 those who come from the eastern part of the State, where water is 

 rather a scarce article, we want you to carry back with you a lasting 

 remembrance of this place. 



I feel that there is a wonderful opportunity now for the farmer. 

 It seems to me that the United States very soon will become the 

 granary of the world. An agricultural buying movement no doubt 

 will soon be inaugurated that will be stupendous in character, and 

 it behooves every man of agricultural inclination, to set himself about 

 the task of "setting his house in order," in order to provide himself 

 with all the knowledge and apparatus necessary to promote the agri- 

 cultural interest of this vast country. Europe, being devastated by 

 war as it is to-day, is reduced to a very unproductive state, agri- 

 culturally, and I believe that this country is destined to supply the 

 sustenance of the world in no mean degree, and it gives me personally 

 a great deal of pleasure to commend to every man the excellent work 

 that these institutes and the Board of Agriculture are able to perform. 



It is absolutely necessary that everyone ])ay some attention, some 

 bced to agricultural pursuits. Tlie day has passed when things are 

 being done as our grandfathers did them. The schoolmaster has 

 beeu abroad in this country and it is essential tliat we all appreciate 

 that fact. We all realize that we have a great many men in our 

 several bureaus of agriculture devoting their time and their energy 

 to the advancement of tliis fundamental industry, tlie primary work 

 of any country, and I trust that this meeting will be productive of 

 iin immense amount of good; iliat you will all carry back with 

 you someiliing to be remembered, some informalion of a useful 

 cliaractor. something you can a-!)])ly to your everyday needs, and 

 that you will carry with you also a remembiancc of our beautiful 

 little resort. 1 bes])eak for every man, on his part, his hearty co- 

 operation and good will in the furtherance of this convention. 



