No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 405 



will find that we have more small cities of 20,000 and over, than any 

 other State, and what does that mean? That means that the dairy- 

 men and the poultrymen are wanted in every one of those centers 

 of population, that there the door of opportunity is wide open for the 

 right man to enter in. 



Now what does all this mean? It means that we must bring our 

 best thought to our dairy and poultry departments of agriculture 

 because these centers of population are ready to absorb the best 

 that we have and the most that we can raise. I suppose that most 

 of you have had my experience. When Mrs. Beaver and I were over 

 in New York, about Thanksgiving time, the old lady that furnishes 

 our turkeys says, "You usually get your turkeys from me, and I 

 want to tell you that I had a man here to-day that offered me twenty- 

 two cents a pound." Now we used to buy them at ten cents a pound. 

 Mrs. Beaver, being afraid that she might not get any turkeys, imme- 

 diately said to the old lady, "Why, certainly." Before Christmas 

 came they were down to fifteen cents, and the old lady got her twen- 

 ty-two, and she had it honestly because the hucksters had offered 

 her that. 



I want to tell you that all these questions of breeding clear through 

 to the poultry yard, and of getting the best results from them all, 

 are they not worthy of discussion, and worthy of thought and worthy 

 of theory in every direction, therefore it seems to me that we will 

 do well if we begin at the very foundation of breeding. We know 

 what it means in the horse, we know what it means in cattle, we 

 know what it means in poultry, and we know what it means in plants, 

 therefore, the great importance of getting at the bottom of the 

 thought involved in breeding for all products of the farm. 



I hadn't thought of saying anything and would not have said 

 anything if friend Hutchison had not called on me, but it is a 

 great pleasure to get a new thought and try to analyze it and re- 

 volve it in your mind, especially when you can see that it may lead to 

 important practical results. 



Prof. Hamilton was called upon by the Chairman, and upon re- 

 quest, came forward, speaking as fellows: 



ADDRESS OF PROF. JOHN HAMILTON. 



When Mr. Fenstermaker was making his speech, he referred to an 

 organization in the State that he said was deemed on all hands to 

 be ornamental, and he hoped it would be useful. I suppose he re- 

 ferred to the new constabulary force that has been recently organ- 

 ized in the State of Pennsylvania. In thinking over the suggestion 

 and applying it to the State Board, I am sure that the State Board 

 is deemed on all hands to be useful, and as I have been sitting here 

 looking at the backs of your heads, it is decidedly ornamental. The 

 usefulness of this Board I think has been limited, heretofore, far 

 below its possibility s. The Board is the representative of the agri- 

 cultural societies of the Stale, and the agricultural societies repre 

 sent the progressive young men of Pennsylvania. That much of 

 their work has been in (he wrong direction, is admitted I think on all 

 hands. All that they need is that their energies shall be directed 

 in the right channels in order to have wonderful results. It seems 

 to me we ought to utilize these young men who are engaged in con- 



