No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 161 



Germany? Why it means that the revenue that the German Empire 

 receives from its state forest reservations is so great that if you 

 were to blot out that revenue from the German treasury, you 

 would reduce the German Empire to a second- rate power on the map 

 of Europe. We are only beginning to see the importance of this, 

 when our great corporations are stealing upon the water-courses 

 of the State for the purpose of turning their wheels or driving 

 their machinery. The headwaters of the State are essential to the 

 health and prosperity of the Commonwealth. It is a very important 

 thing that we should control the headwaters of all these streams 

 so that our towns may have pure water; that the water which comes 

 from your springs may be pure. A very large portion of those 

 who die every year in our community die simply because of the 

 filth and disease germs that are carried into their systems from the 

 water. It is, therefore, important, very important, that the State 

 should own these headwaters of the streams. Now these are just 

 a few facts that I have had brought before me in the course of my 

 duties as a public officer. 



1 want here to mention a little circumstance which may impress 

 you as in the nature of a useful lesson. A number of the farmers 

 believed in this great movement and were interested in it in 1893, 

 and I had the honor for the first time then of appearing before the 

 farmers of the State, and I read a paper there, and was fortunate 

 enough to secure the approval of the State Board, or the State Board 

 of Agriculture, as it then was. The gentleman who presided at that 

 meeting, was one who had bitterly opposed the movement — I might 

 almost say ignorantly opposed it, and when the unanimous vote was 

 given, which asked the Governor of the Commonwealth to do what 

 lay in his power to forward this movement, that gentleman saw 

 then and there that he was opposing the sentiment of his agricultural 

 brethren, and he could not get around quick enough the next day 

 when he appeared in the House of Kepresentatives. W T hen he came 

 into the House, he appeared on the other side of the question. That 

 was all due to the influence of the farmers of this State. 



MR. STOUT: Is it in order to offer a resolution at this time? 



The CHAIR: Let us hear it. - 



MR, STOUT: Whereas, The Legislative Committee of this Board 

 did not succeed in their efforts to obtain the consent of the Legis- 

 lature granting the privileges to trolley railroads to carry freight, 

 therefore, be it 



Resolved, That, in the opinion of the members of this Board, the 

 demand for the enactment of the proposed law should be again pre- 

 sented to the next session of the Legislature by the Legislative Com- 

 mittee. 



11—6—1905 



