Report of Secretary. 21 



REPORT OF SECRETARY. 



Gentlemen of the Board of Agriculture : 



The close of 1909 brings us to the 45th mile-post in the history of 

 our organization, and we meet today in 45th annual session in this 

 magnificent building under very auspicious surroundings. All of the 

 leading State Agricultural, Horticultural, and Live Stock Associations 

 have met today upon call of the State Board of Agriculture to receive 

 a week's instruction from the faculty of the Agricultural College, and 

 to get from them and by association with each other, greater enthusiasm 

 and respect for the cause we represent. 



During the past few years we have seen the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment of our State University grow from the weakest to one of the 

 strongest. Agriculture, as a business, is receiving the recognition it 

 has so long deserved from all classes of people. During the year, 1909, 

 the farmers of this State have produced, in spite of overflows, drouth, 

 and destructive insects, crops to the value of $209,219,500. The corn 

 crop, while not the greatest in bushels, is greater in value by nearly 

 eleven million dollars than any crop ever produced in the history of the 

 State. A million dollars worth of corn for each county in the State is 

 the average, while seven coimties produced more than two million dol- 

 lars worth each. The banner county produced, in roimd numbers, corn 

 to the value of four million of dollars. The seven leading counties 

 in the State produced a crop valued at more than twenty-one million 

 dollars. 



While discussing the great value of the corn crop it might be well 

 to suggest that to increase the price per bushel of corn does not add that 

 much to the reserve capital of the farmer. Only from 5 to 10 per cent 

 of a corn crop in Missouri is exported from the counties in which it is 

 produced, and hence, more than 90 per cent is consumed by the live 

 stock on the farm. 



High-priced com adds greatly to the expense of maintaining the 

 farm live stock, adds materially to the cost of producing the mutton, 

 the wool, the pork, the beef, the dairy products, the poultry, the horses 

 and mules sold off the farm ; and higher priced com adds materially to 

 the cost of producing more corn and other grains. 



It would appear, then, that the greatest question concerning our 

 Board, and all other like organizations in this country, is the cheapen- 



