72 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



Having the responsibility of the permanent success of the 

 work of the Board by reason of my position as Secretary, I had 

 for some time been thinking of a plan that would arouse the whole 

 State as to the importance of the work of both the Board of 

 Agriculture and the College of Agriculture. (In writing this 

 statement I hope I may not appear egotistic, for in anything I 

 may have done my only aim was the betterment of the farmers 

 of Missouri.) Both the Board and the college had been doing 

 splendid work for many years, but for some years their efforts 

 were not appreciated — even among farmers at that time there 

 was widespread prejudice against both institutions. I had 

 observed that the reason for this prejudice was largely a lack of 

 understanding or familiarity with what the college and Board 

 were doing, or, at least, what they were trying to do. It seemed 

 to me that if the meetings were held in the college and the home 

 of the Board of Agriculture that gradually the farmers who 

 attended would become extension representatives for their 

 respective communities and in that way would soon have the 

 support of at least a large majority of the farmers throughout 

 the State. I made this plea before the committee and begged 

 them to hold the next meeting in the Agricultural College, 

 Columbia, in January, 1904. I was asked what money con- 

 sideration Columbia had to offer and I was compelled to say, 

 "Not one cent — we can only give you a place of meeting and an 

 opportunity of visiting the College of Agriculture, which should 

 be the pride of every intelligent farmer of the State." 



To my great surprise the plea won the committee and an 

 unanimous vote was given for a trial meeting in the State Univer- 

 sity. The next meeting was therefore held in January, 1904, and 

 all organizations in the State representing any line of agricul- 

 ture or live stock were invited to join us. Early in 1903 a Corn 

 Growers' Association was organized among the students of the 

 Agricultural College and their first annual meeting was held 

 under the auspices of the Board of Agriculture in January, 1904, 

 and a corn show was held, but it was a very poor show, and would 

 not be classed as a corn show today in the most remote district 

 of the State. The few farmers who attended this first meeting 

 were enthusiastic about the work of the Board and the College, 

 and unanimously voted to continue the meetings here, and since 

 that each succeeding year has seen an increased interest and 

 attendance. Up to this time the meetings had been held for 

 two or three days, but it was seen that a big program such as we 



