100 Missouri Agricultural Beport. 



was at one time the guest of royalty in England at diinier, where, among 

 other delicacies there was provided an elegant, tempting dish of straw- 

 berries; the hostess, noticing that he did not eat them, said to him: 

 "Mr. Field, don't you like strawberries?" He replied, "Yes, but I 

 was just thinking how they would spoil the taste for — prunes. I am 

 thinking tonight how this audience (after a rich treat of strawberries), 

 have had their taste spoiled for — prunesj and I offer you my condo- 

 lence for what you have to suffer, and my apology for having nothing 

 to offer at this .juncture of this wonderful l)niiquot — but a dish of 

 prunes. 



I will ask you to remember that in my capacity tonight I'm "Only 

 A Dairyman," and my hope of being able to make this dish of prunes 

 more palatable is the furnishing of an abundant supply of good, rich 

 milk and cream, by him whose cause I am delighted to champion, and in 

 whose interest I responded to the request made by the Secretary of the 

 Missouri State Dairy Association. Pardon me for repeating what I 

 have so often said — that of all meetings I attend, a Dairy meeting in 

 Missouri is the most attractive. 



I recognize in the Dairyman an important personage, and he is 

 legion ; he is untfammelled by the boundary of any commonwealth 

 or country ; his appellation is as broad in its meaning as — mankind. 

 In many sections the Dairyman is a — Boy. In England the Dairyman 

 is a — man. In Scotland and IMissouri the Dairyman is a — woman. A 

 most striking illustration of this fact was given by the man who was 

 asked by your former dairy commissioner how the dairy business was 

 prospering in his section, and he said it wasn't doing very much good; 

 that the women had got so "onery" that they wouldn't milk any more, 

 and they had almost abandoned the business. 



His business is not the creation of a fancy; it is the natural out- 

 growth of necessity with all of humanity; it is not a new business — it 

 dates back with the beginning of history and from the time of the 

 memorable feast given by Abraham, which was entirely from the 

 Dairy, up until the time of the opossum banquet given to Taft. The 

 Dairyman's product has been the most essential articles of diet at eveiy 

 meal. I have no dispostion to consume your time and Avorry your pa- 

 tience with statistics to substantiate a claim for the Dairyman's promi- 

 nence ; first, because it isn 't necessary, and next, because I would refrain 

 from anything that might give you the opinion of the deacon who met 

 the preacher one morning at the church, who. liaving gotten wet coming 

 through a drenching rain, said, "I'm afraid I'm ton Avet to preach this 

 morning," and the deacon said, "0, never mind that. When you get 

 into the pulpit and get to preaching you'll be dry enough." The senti- 



