342 State Horticultural Society. 



undertaking-. ]\Iy earlier years were. spent on the farm. I early 

 learned to compute profit and loss in stock growing. 



Well, I remember, one of my neighbors having lost twelve hun- 

 dred dollars worth of hogs in a few days from that dread malady — 

 cholera. I have not quite recovered from my scare in this incident, 

 though years have elapsed. The destructive capacity of this animal, 

 the hog, need not be recited, although I will say that he will upturn 

 your alfalfa and 3^our blue grass faster than you can replace them. 

 Then if permitted he will go visiting, spreading consternation among 

 your neighbors. The great law-giver, Moses, must have known all 

 about hogs when he wrote the law, "Thou shalt not eat any abomin- 

 able thing." They were "common" in his day, and that they are 

 "unclean" needs no proof. In this later day we forget the law in 

 many particulars and consider the dollar the only thing worth while. 



At my home in Clay county. Mo., blue grass grows luxuriantly. 

 Some calves looked very tempting to me, but an experienced stock 

 man said I could not handle them at a profit. The grass will still 

 'grow here, but the wide prairie is the stock man's remunerative home. 

 Then there is the Texas fever; have we immunity from that? It is 

 l)y. no means certain, though better sanitary conditions and regula- 

 tions have greatly reduced the risk. 



Now, a few words as to the sheep industry. Just after the Civil 

 war, I sold wool at 65 cents per pound, and spring lambs at $7.00 

 per head. Since that day the business has had reverses and severe 

 coinpetitors in the wool market. ]\Iy father's flock was yearly beset 

 by dogs. If I could make a law, I would put a tax cf $10.00 per head 

 per annum upon all canines in the land. Not long ago one flock- 

 master in Colorado lost six hundred sheep by a deep snow. An early 

 winter storm was too sudden and severe, 3^et this same storm made 

 glad hearts in the valley below by the increase in water for irrigation 

 of the farm, the orchard and the vineyard. I learned recently that 

 the officials of Montana have put up the bars and sa}' no more sheep 

 for us from sister states. Perhaps they have scab and foot-rot enough 

 of their own. 



In spite of all these ills our attention is drawn to the packing- 

 house industry. How they multiply and expand each year, but their 

 growth and prosperity must not be put beside the profit and loss 

 account of the producer. His margin is frequently small, while the 

 thrift of the packing- house industry is much in evidence at Kansas 

 City, these latter da3's. Commissioner Garfield's report on the in- 

 dustry does not coincide with the facts here, however plausible it 

 .may be. We have no tabulated statement of the profits of one in- 



