18 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



REPORT OF SECRETARY. 



Gentlemen of tlie Board of Agriculture : 



The year 1910 has gone into history and the 45th year of your 

 existence has closed. We are met today in, the 46th annual session to 

 review the work of the past year and to consider ways and means for 

 carrying on the work of the Board during 1911. I shall not attempt 

 to speak of the work done by your Board in the past nor the great good 

 resulting therefrom. Rather would J direct your attention to the work 

 that is before us, and in all confidence let me hope that your efforts in 

 the future will be crowned with even greater success and more bene- 

 ficial results than those of the past. 



At your last annual meeting you were called on to accept the 

 resignation of your seoretary who had served you ably for eight years. 

 You also at that same meeting elected me to fill the office made vacant 

 by the resignation of Mr. Ellis. I took charge of this office on March 

 2, 1910, and have rendered to the Board the best service of which I am 

 capable. In every department, and from every assistant and every 

 employee, I have had the most loyal support, and the year has closed 

 with perfect harmony and good feeling. 



The results of the year's work have not been all that we hoped 

 for, yet we can show very decided and gratifying results in most of 

 the work. 



FARIWERS' INSTITUTE WORK. 



The Farmers' Institute work has been especially active and the only 

 limitation on the extent of this work has been that of human endurance. 

 Our men have been worked to the limit of their physical capacity. The 

 time was when we had to ask for a hearing or an opportunity to present 

 new ideas. But it is not that way now. We no longer have to beg for 

 a hearing, but we have great difficulty in getting enough good men 

 to supply demands on us for speakers. On one day in November we 

 had twelve institutes in as many different places in ^Missouri and two 

 other places were disappointed that day because we could not supply 

 speakers. During the year the Board has put on some 300 institutes 

 with an estimated attendance of something like 40,000. AVe have great 

 need of more men who are especially equipped for the various lines 



