22 Missouri Agricultural Be port. 



ing of the cost of production rather than a greater advance in pi ices for 

 farm products. Higher prices, it seems to me, are sure to re-act upon 

 the prosperous conditions of the country; while, if the farmer can, by 

 better methods of cultivation, better seed selection, more intelligent 

 soil treatment, and a more general use of labor-saving machinery, in- 

 crease his profits without increasing the cost of living to other classes, 

 it will tend to aid in maintaining a healthy and prosperous condition 

 in all parts of our country, and among all classes of business. 



I believe that the farmers of Missouri have made substantial prog- 

 ress in adopting scientific methods and the most approved practices in 

 farm management, but there is yet much room for improvement. When 

 Missouri was first settled brawn was needed more than brain in the 

 clearing of the forests and the building of homes under frontier condi- 

 tions; but today with our soils greatly depleted in natural fertility, it 

 is a question of the ability to intelligently apply scientific methods and 

 principles rather than a question of greater physical force. During the 

 first few years of the existence of this Board — almost half a century 

 ago — many of the questions that concern us now were among those dis- 

 cussed at that time. Increasing soil fertility, improvement of the qual- 

 ity of live stock, more scientific methods of feeding, and better methods 

 of crop cultivation and seed selection, were all prominent subjects dis- 

 cussed at the meetings in the early years of the history of the Board, 

 and these same subjects will receive prominent places on the program 

 of our exercises during the present week. 



The first annual report of the Board of Agriculture, published 

 in 1866, contains this quotation from the ''Rural AVorld:' 



> > 



Seed corn should always be selected in the field where the strength and vigor of 

 the plant may be seen, and none but the fairest ears should be chosen, and these 

 from the most productive stalks. We have fully proved the advantage of selecting 

 seed in this way, not only in corn, but in any other variety of vegetable. Tlie labor 

 is no greater in malting tlie selection at this time than in selecting the corn in the 

 crib. 



While we have learned more about the selection of seed corn, — 

 the greater number of points to consider as to the grain, the cob, the 

 stalk, etc., — the above advice is just as sound today as when it was 

 uttered; and this fact might suggest to us that it is not so much our 

 duty to determine what science has demonstrated to be true, as it is to 

 encourage the farmers to more generally adopt scientific methods. 



THE WORK OF THE YEAR, 1909. 



Your last annual meeting recommended certain new legislation and 

 appointed a legislative committee to acquaint the members of the Legis- 

 lature with the recommendations, and the success of the committee is 

 shown in the following report : 



